Why does Japan have such a flag?

The national flag of Japan is a white cloth with a large scarlet circle in the center, symbolizing the solar disk.
It has been used as an official symbol of the state since 1854, when Japan’s rapid exit from centuries of self-isolation began.

In Japan, along with Buddhism, the original ancient religion is widely spread – Shintoism, the cult of worship of the sun goddess Amaterasu. Continue reading →