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Festivals and celebrationsEast AsiaShinto, Taoist and folk Chinese

Tairyō-bata

In its own language: 大漁旗

Traditional Japanese flags flown by fishing boats to celebrate a bountiful catch

Tairyō-bata
Photo: Wiki4423, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Tairyō-bata are colourful Japanese maritime flags originally hoisted by fishing boats to announce a heavy catch to the home port. Today, coastal communities across Japan also display them for celebrations, festivals, recovery efforts, and welcoming new babies.

When is Tairyō-bata kept?

Tairyō-bata is kept on when returning to port with a catch, or during festivals and milestones.

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Tairyō-bata are brightly coloured rectangular flags traditionally raised by Japanese fishing crews to signal a bountiful haul as their vessels head back to port. Over time, these maritime banners have broadened in purpose. Coastal communities now display them during local festivals, to mark milestones such as longevity, and as signs of community resilience following natural disasters.

Signalling a bountiful catch

Originally, fishermen hoisted these banners, known as 'big catch flags', as their vessels returned to harbour. Flying the flag let people waiting on shore know immediately that the trip had been successful. Each banner is rectangular and displays bold ocean imagery along with vivid colours. The designs are customized, featuring specific emblems and markings that represent the particular fishing company or individual vessel. In regions such as the Sanriku Coast, the flags are also known by the local name furai-ki. Throughout Japanese harbours, they remain a familiar and striking sight.

Festivals and life milestones

Beyond their everyday role on working vessels, tairyō-bata have become central to festive occasions across coastal Japan. People decorate boats with rows of these bright banners during harbour events and communal celebrations. The flags are also presented to individuals to mark significant personal achievements and to celebrate long life. In the Sendai area, Shiyogama Shrine even distributes the flags to families with newborn babies. Presenting a big catch flag to an infant is a playful and affectionate custom, treating the arrival of a new child as the family's own wonderful catch.

Resilience and recovery

In recent years, the flags have taken on renewed meaning as emblems of solidarity and perseverance. Following the destructive earthquake and tsunami that struck the Tōhoku region in 2011, tairyō-bata became prominent symbols of regional recovery. Communities in the affected areas flew the banners to rally local spirits and represent hopes for rebuilding maritime life and coastal livelihoods. By bridging old seafaring practices with modern communal unity, the flags continue to serve as a visual declaration of strength and good fortune for port towns.

How Tairyō-bata is kept

Fishermen raise the custom-designed flags on their boats as they return to harbour with a full catch. On festive days, crews string multiple decorative banners across their vessels. In seaside towns, people display them for community events, present them to celebrate longevity, and in Sendai, receive them from Shiyogama Shrine to welcome a newborn baby.

When and where

Crews fly the flags when returning to port after a successful fishing trip. They are also hoisted during community festivals, personal longevity celebrations, and family milestones.

The custom belongs to port towns and coastal settlements across Japan. It is especially prominent along the Sanriku Coast and across the wider Tōhoku region, including the city of Sendai.

What Tairyō-bata means

Literally translating to big catch flag, the tairyō-bata represents prosperity, successful labour, and good fortune at sea. Beyond maritime bounty, it serves as an emblem of longevity, communal solidarity, and recovery from natural disaster. When given to newborn babies, it playfully marks the infant as a family's greatest catch.

Tairyō-bata: Dry cleaner Sano-ya in Sumoto, Hyogo
Tairyō-bata: Dry cleaner Sano-ya in Sumoto, Hyogo. Photo: 松岡明芳, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Tairyō-bata
Tairyō-bata. Photo: Usodesita, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Questions people ask about Tairyō-bata

When is Tairyō-bata kept?

Tairyō-bata is kept on when returning to port with a catch, or during festivals and milestones.

What is a tairyō-bata?

A tairyō-bata is a traditional Japanese maritime flag. Fishing crews originally raised these brightly coloured, custom-designed banners on their boats to signal a successful, heavy catch of fish when sailing back into port.

Where are these flags used?

They are found throughout coastal communities in Japan. The tradition is particularly notable along the Sanriku Coast, where the flags are called furai-ki, as well as in the Tōhoku region and Sendai.

How are tairyō-bata used today?

Beyond fishing trips, people use them as vessel decorations during festivals, as gifts to honour longevity, as symbols of disaster recovery in Tōhoku, and as playful blessings given to newborn infants at Shiyogama Shrine.

See also

Water lanternSmall lamps floated on water to honour the dead and ask for good fortuneHinamatsuriA March festival in Japan where families display ornamental dolls to pray for the health and happiness of young girls.Children's DayA Japanese holiday on May fifth celebrating the happiness and growth of childrenAoi MatsuriA classical Kyoto festival with an imperial procession and ancient shrine rituals

Good reading and sources

Where this page comes from

The facts on this page come from the Wikipedia article "Tairyō-bata", written by its contributors and used under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence, and from its Wikidata record (CC0). EveryParampara rewrote the text in its own words, with AI assistance, and compares every page with the article to make sure no passage is copied. It may be reused under the same CC BY-SA 4.0 licence with a link back.

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-06.

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Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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