宮崎県 (Miyazaki)
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Flag
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Prefecture
Miyazaki Prefecture (宮崎県, Miyazaki-ken), on the Pacific coast of Kyūshū, flies a green flag patterned with three diagonal gold diamonds forming the katakana character “mi” — the first syllable of its name — adopted in 1964. Its older official crest (kenshō), dating to 1912, is a different design entirely: the kanji character for “sun” drawn from Hyūga, the historical province name that Miyazaki inherited. Note that this page describes the prefecture, not its capital city of the same name — Miyazaki City holds its own separate municipal emblem.
| Prefecture | Miyazaki (宮崎県, Miyazaki-ken) |
|---|---|
| Type | Ken (県) — ordinary prefecture |
| Region | Kyūshū, Pacific coast |
| Capital | Miyazaki City (a distinct entity from the prefecture, with its own emblem) |
| Established | Former Hyūga Province; became Miyazaki Prefecture in 1873, absorbed into Kagoshima Prefecture in 1876, re-established as an independent prefecture in 1883 |
| Crest (kenshō) | Kanji “sun” from Hyūga, three rays outward; adopted 14 January 1912 |
| Flag | Green field, gold diamonds forming katakana “mi”; adopted 22 December 1964 |
| Official tree | Phoenix palm (fenikkusu), designated 1966 |
| Official flower | Hamayū (beach spider lily), designated 1964 |
| Official bird | Koshijiro-yamadori (copper pheasant subspecies), designated 1964 |
Flag of Miyazaki Prefecture — Green field, gold katakana “mi” motif, adopted 1964
Miyazaki is one of the Japanese prefectures whose official crest (kenshō, 県章) and flag (kenki, 県旗) are entirely different designs. The crest, the older of the two, renders the kanji character 日 (“sun”) at its centre — taken from Hyūga (日向), the historical name of the province that became Miyazaki — with three strokes representing 向 (“direction”) extending outward as rays of light, said to symbolise the prefecture’s advancement.
The flag, adopted decades later, shows a green field charged with three diagonal gold diamond shapes stylised into the katakana character “mi” (ミ), the opening syllable of “Miyazaki.” Green stands for the prefecture’s abundant forests and farmland, gold for its abundant sunshine — qualities Miyazaki has long marketed as the “Land of Sunshine.”
The prefectural crest was adopted on 14 January 1912 (Prefectural Notice No. 1), making it one of the older emblems among Japan’s current prefectures. It draws directly on Miyazaki’s pre-Meiji identity as Hyūga Province, one of Kyūshū’s ancient provinces and, in Japanese mythology, the setting of the descent of the sun goddess Amaterasu’s heavenly grandson and the legendary birthplace of Emperor Jimmu, Japan’s first emperor. The choice of the sun character for the crest echoes this mythological association with light and divine origin, as well as the more literal reference to Hyūga’s name.
The flag followed much later, adopted on 22 December 1964 as part of the commemorations marking the 80th anniversary of Miyazaki’s re-establishment as an independent prefecture (it had been folded into neighbouring Kagoshima Prefecture between 1876 and 1883). A prefecture-wide public design competition drew several hundred entries; according to prefectural accounts, the selection committee combined elements from more than one submission — the green-and-gold colour scheme from one entry and the diagonal diamond motif from another — to arrive at the final design, credited to a winning submitter from the competition. Unusually, the flag makes no use of the existing 1912 crest at all.
Crest of Miyazaki Prefecture — Kanji “sun,” three outward rays, adopted 1912
A green field bearing three diagonal gold diamond shapes stylised into the katakana character “mi” (ミ), the first syllable of Miyazaki, symbolising the prefecture’s greenery and sunshine. It was adopted on 22 December 1964.
No — unusually, the two differ completely. The crest (kenshō), adopted in 1912, uses the kanji for “sun” from the old province name Hyūga. The flag, adopted in 1964, uses an unrelated katakana-based design chosen by public competition and does not incorporate the crest at all.
This page covers Miyazaki Prefecture, the wider administrative region. Its capital, Miyazaki City (Miyazaki-shi), shares the same name but is a separate municipal government with its own distinct emblem and flag, not shown here.
The region, formerly Hyūga Province, became Miyazaki Prefecture in 1873 following the 1871 abolition of the han system, but was absorbed into Kagoshima Prefecture in 1876. Public pressure led to its re-establishment as an independent prefecture in 1883 — an anniversary the 1964 flag was later designed to commemorate.
Last reviewed by the Emblema Mundi editorial team on 2026-07-04.