Last modified: 2023-06-03 by 
zachary harden
Keywords: japan | weather flags |
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Before World War II the Japanese weather flags would be flown above some of
the tallest buildings in Japanese cities - typically department stores - to
report weather forecasts to the public.
The source to all flags in this series is
http://www.photoree.com/photos/permalink/1095694-40011478@N00
Miles Li, 12 July 2013
Unfortunately, though the link is apparently permanent, the image wasn't.
Does anyone know where to find the source image, or another source for these
flags?
As I noticed that Google did not display all of these the same way, I've
re-saved these flags with smaller palettes and a light grey background colour.
Let's see how Google shows these a few months from now.
Only the rain and snow flag was redrawn, because waiting for this month's FotW
to download I got irritated by a small asymmetry, all others are Miles'. I've
left the darker blue colour in as I assume Miles had a reason for picking that
shade.
The other of the attachments should match the order from my description of the
system, which boils down to full colours first, and ordered white, red, blue,
green.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 31 May 2015
![[Japanese Weather Flags]](../images/j/jp-wef.gif)
image by
Nozomi Kariyasu, 01 June 2015
The weather forecast flags were adopted on Feb 1st 1977 by Japanese
Meteorological Agency Notice No 3.
Source:
http://www.mext.go.jp/b_menu/hakusho/nc/k19761116001/k19761116001.html
1 White lower third green and blue: Clear Sky with occasional light rain or
snow.
2 Red kower thurd green and blue: Overcast with occasional light rain or snow
3 Blue and red quarterly divided: Fog.
Nozomi Kariyasu, 01 June 2015
Is it just these three extra flags adopted at that time? With the rest of it
from 1952? Or is there more to it. Miles wrote that this was before the war, but
these regulations are second half of the century.
I'll leave it to Japanese readers to translate any relevant bits, but the
construction diagrams do tell me I need to redraw some stuff, as the ratios are
wrong. At least, they are wrong for 1977; I don't know about 1952 or about
before the war.
Of course, now we'll also have to find out what these flags were/are used to, if
they're no longer used to signal the weather from tall buildings in the city.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 02 June 2015
The notice No 3 in 1977 says the notice No 64 in 1953 (not 1952) was
abolished on Feb 1st 1977.
I am not sure whether three extra flags were adopted as I have not seen notice
No 64.
Nozomi Kariyasu, 02 June 2015
I confess I have not been following the work you have been doing on Weather
flags, but it occurred to me. Is it possible that the mysterious
UFE09-3 one of
these Japanese weather flags?
Pete Loeser, 02 June 2015
To my best knowledge, only white, red, blue and green have been used for
Japanese weather forecast flag. I have not seen yellow and black.
Nozomi Kariyasu, 02 June 2015
![[Japanese Weather Flags]](../images/j/jp_wd_n.gif)
image by
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 02 June 2015
A white 3:4 triangle.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 02 June 2015
![[Japanese Weather Flags]](../images/j/jp_wd_ne.gif)
image by
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 02 June 2015
A white over green 3:4 triangle.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 02 June 2015
![[Japanese Weather Flags]](../images/j/jp_wd_e.gif)
image by
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 02 June 2015
A green 3:4 triangle.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 02 June 2015
![[Japanese Weather Flags]](../images/j/jp_wd_se.gif)
image by
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 02 June 2015
A red over green 3:4 triangle.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 02 June 2015
![[Japanese Weather Flags]](../images/j/jp_wd_s.gif)
image by
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 02 June 2015
A red 3:4 triangle.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 02 June 2015
![[Japanese Weather Flags]](../images/j/jp_wd_sw.gif)
image by
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 02 June 2015
A red over blue 3:4 triangle.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 02 June 2015
![[Japanese Weather Flags]](../images/j/jp_wd_w.gif)
image by
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 02 June 2015
A blue 3:4 triangle.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 02 June 2015
![[Japanese Weather Flags]](../images/j/jp_wd_nw.gif)
image by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 02 June 2015
A white over blue 3:4 triangle.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 02 June 2015
The primary directions are North, White, and South, Red; the secondary
directions are West, Blue, and East, Green. The cardinal directions have flags
in their colour. The primary intercardinal directions have flags with the colour
of their primary direction over the colour of their secondary direction.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 31 May 2015
![[Japanese Weather Flags]](../images/j/jp_clr.gif)
image by
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 02 June 2015
A white 3:4 rectangle.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 02 June 2015
![[Japanese Weather Flags]](../images/j/jp_clr_o.gif)
image by
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 02 June 2015
A white 3:4 rectangle with the lower third red.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 02 June 2015
![[Japanese Weather Flags]](../images/j/jp_clr_r.gif)
image by
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 02 June 2015
A white 3:4 rectangle with the lower third blue.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 02 June 2015
![[Japanese Weather Flags]](../images/j/jp_clr_s.gif)
image by
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 02 June 2015
A white 3:4 rectangle with the lower third green.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 02 June 2015
![[Japanese Weather Flags]](../images/j/jp_cl_rs.gif)
image by
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 02 June 2015
A white 3:4 rectangle with the lower third green before blue.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 02 June 2015
![[Japanese Weather Flags]](../images/j/jp_ovc.gif)
image by
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 02 June 2015
A red 3:4 rectangle.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 02 June 2015
![[Japanese Weather Flags]](../images/j/jp_ovc_c.gif)
image by
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 02 June 2015
A red 3:4 rectangle with the lower third white.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 02 June 2015
![[Japanese Weather Flags]](../images/j/jp_ovc_r.gif)
image by
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 02 June 2015
A red 3:4 rectangle with the lower third blue.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 02 June 2015
![[Japanese Weather Flags]](../images/j/jp_ovc_s.gif)
image by
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 02 June 2015
A red 3:4 rectangle with the lower third green.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 02 June 2015
![[Japanese Weather Flags]](../images/j/jp_ov_rs.gif)
image by
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 02 June 2015
A red 3:4 rectangle with the lower third green before blue.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 02 June 2015
![[Japanese Weather Flags]](../images/j/jp_ra.gif)
image by
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 02 June 2015
A blue 3:4 rectangle.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 02 June 2015
![[Japanese Weather Flags]](../images/j/jp_sn.gif)
image by
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 02 June 2015
A green 3:4 rectangle.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 02 June 2015
![[Japanese Weather Flags]](../images/j/jp_ra_sn.gif)
image by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 02 June 2015
From the chart I'm guessing Rain "or" snow
A 3:4 rectangle divided per main diagonal blue over green.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 02 June 2015
The cloud conditions are Clear, White, and Overcast, Red; the precipitation
conditions are Rain, Blue, and Snow, Green. Uniform conditions have flags in
their colour. Mixed conditions have flags of the main cloud condition with in
the lower third the secondary condition. Any combination of rain and snow is
indicated with the rain and snow flag, regardless of the exact mix.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 31 May 2015
![[Japanese Weather Flags]](../images/j/jp_fog.gif)
image by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 02 June 2015
A 3:4 rectangle quartered blue and red.
That would be a mix over overcast and rain -- not a bad description for fog.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 02 June 2015
The cloud conditions are Clear, White, and Overcast, Red; the precipitation
conditions are Rain, Blue, Snow, Green, and Rain or Snow, Green and Blue.
Uniform conditions have flags in their colour. Mixed conditions have flags of
the main cloud condition with in the lower third the secondary condition,
with rain or snow being green before blue.. Predominantly Rain or Snow, as a
combination, is indicated with the rain or snow flag. Fog is indicated with the
fog flag.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 02 June 2015
![[Japanese Weather Flags]](../images/j/jp_tm_rr.gif)
image by
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 02 June 2015
A red 2:5 rectangle.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 02 June 2015
![[Japanese Weather Flags]](../images/j/jp_tm_rf.gif)
image by Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 02 June 2015
A white 2:5 rectangle.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 02 June 2015
The temperature changes are Falling rapidly, White, and Rising Rapidly, Red.
The changes have flags in their colour.
Since no other temperature changes are indicated and the case of no rapid
changes is apparently indicated by not hoisting a temperature flag, the other
two colours are not used.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 31 May 2015
A white 2:5 rectangle.
Peter Hans van den Muijzenberg, 02 June 2015