和歌山県 (Wakayama)
Flag
Not available
Flag
Not available
Prefecture
Wakayama Prefecture (和歌山県, Wakayama-ken) flies a white flag bearing a marine-blue emblem: a stylised rendering of the katakana character “wa” (ワ), the first sound of the prefecture’s name, fanning outward in a shape said to evoke the region’s boundless future and the harmony of its people. The emblem was chosen by public competition and adopted in 1969. Note that the prefecture’s capital shares its name — Wakayama City — but the city maintains its own separate municipal emblem; this page concerns the prefectural symbol only.
| Prefecture | Wakayama (和歌山県, Wakayama-ken) |
|---|---|
| Type | Ken (県) — ordinary prefecture |
| Region | Kansai (Kinki), on the Kii Peninsula |
| Capital | Wakayama City (a separate administrative entity with its own emblem) |
| Established | 22 November 1871, by consolidation of the former Wakayama, Tanabe, and Shingū prefectures (post-haihan-chiken), corresponding closely to the historical Kii Province and the domain of the Kishū Tokugawa, one of the gosanke |
| Crest/emblem (kenshō) | Marine-blue stylised katakana “wa” (ワ); emblem adopted 26 April 1969, flag adopted 7 August 1969 |
| Official tree | Ubame oak (ubame-gashi), designated 1966 |
| Official flower | Ume (Japanese plum) blossom, designated 1968 |
| Official bird | Japanese white-eye (mejiro), designated 1965 |
Flag of Wakayama Prefecture — White field, marine-blue emblem, adopted 1969
The flag of Wakayama Prefecture is a white field bearing the prefecture’s emblem (県章, kenshō) in marine blue, a colour the prefectural government associates with the waters of the Kuroshio Current that washes the Kii Peninsula’s coast. The design stylises the katakana character “wa” (ワ) — the opening sound of “Wakayama” — into an open, fan-like form. According to the prefectural government’s own explanation, the flaring shape represents “the endless development of southern Kii, reaching toward tomorrow,” while also standing for wa (和) in the sense of harmony among the prefecture’s residents, and for their vigorous, progressive character. An alternate version of the emblem, in passion orange outlined in white on a light-blue field, is used for sporting and cultural events.
Unlike crests going back to a feudal-era mon, Wakayama’s prefectural emblem is a twentieth-century creation. With the prefecture set to host the 1971 Kuroshio National Sports Festival (黒潮国体), the prefectural government sought a unifying symbol to strengthen residents’ civic pride. A public design competition held in 1968 drew 815 entries; the winning design was formally adopted as the official prefectural emblem on 26 April 1969 (Prefectural Notice No. 310). The dedicated prefectural flag bearing the emblem followed a few months later, on 7 August 1969 (Notice No. 567).
Wakayama Prefecture takes its name from its capital, Wakayama City (和歌山市), much as several other Japanese prefectures share a name with their seat of government. The two are distinct levels of administration, however, and each maintains its own official emblem: the marine-blue “wa” mark described here belongs to the prefectural government (pref.wakayama.lg.jp), while the city of Wakayama has adopted a separate municipal symbol of its own. Historically, the prefecture corresponds closely to the old Kii Province, seat of the Kishū Domain ruled by a branch of the Tokugawa family counted among the gosanke, the three most senior collateral houses of the shogunal line. Following the Meiji-era abolition of the domains, the modern prefecture was formed on 22 November 1871 through the merger of the short-lived Wakayama, Tanabe, and Shingū prefectures.
A white field bearing a marine-blue emblem: a stylised katakana “wa” (ワ), fanning outward to represent the endless development of the southern Kii region and the harmony of its people.
No. Wakayama Prefecture and its capital, Wakayama City, are separate administrative bodies, each with its own official emblem. This page describes only the prefectural emblem and flag, adopted by the prefectural government in 1969; the city’s municipal emblem is a distinct design.
The emblem was adopted on 26 April 1969 (Prefectural Notice No. 310), chosen from 815 entries submitted to a 1968 public design competition ahead of the 1971 Kuroshio National Sports Festival. The matching prefectural flag was adopted on 7 August 1969 (Notice No. 567).
The ubame oak (designated 1966), the ume (Japanese plum) blossom (designated 1968), and the Japanese white-eye, or mejiro (designated 1965).
Last reviewed by the Emblema Mundi editorial team on 2026-07-04.