Tottori (Japan)

White stylized Hiragana character of To (と) of Tottori in a bird shape on dark blue field as Tottori means many birds. The emblem represents freedom, peace and future progress. Adopted 23 October 1968.
Nozomi Kariyasu, 6 May 1998

Tottori Prefecture lies on the western shore of Honshu. The work "tori" means "bird". The prefecture flag reflects a stylized bird, white on blue. But if you are familiar with the hiragana alphabet, the phonetic symbol for "to" (pronounced as would be "toe" in English) is also similar. It is a Roman "C" with a small spike arising from the upper left of the character ( -C). A reader of Japanese would see in the flag both "to" and "tori".
Bruce Ward - 1996-05-12