TheUnionJack,MyLondon KaoriMaeda

Iam from Japan but I’m a Londoner at heart. Fascinatedby English lyrics, Istartedto scribble since I

was a teenager. Those scribbles were transformedinto poetry andledme to the worldofCreative Writing. Apparently my writingreads like candyfloss.

TheUnionJackmeanshometome.IwouldhappilydiewrappedinitalthoughIamJapanese. I evenwantatattoooftheUnionJacksomeday.WhenImentionedthistoaBritishperson,hesaid, ‘Really?Iwouldneverdothat.It’snotlikeyou’reoneoftheBNP(BritishNationalParty).’ Peterfrom Coventryisinhisfiftiesandhasasleevetattoothatstretchesfromhiswristtohisshoulder.Hetoldme thathecarefullyplannedthedesignandthetimingforhistattoo.‘Idon’tliketheflag(theUnionJack) becauseitremindsmeofthediscriminatingBritishEmpireandwhatithasdonetopeople’,Petersaid.To

understandthedepthoftheUnionJack,whatitmeanstoothersandwhattheythinkofitstattoo,Ihave askedagroupofpeopleofdifferentagesandbackgroundsincludingtattooartists.TheUnionJackhas beenflyingforhundredsofyearsbuthowpeoplefeelaboutitdoesnotseemmonolithic. TheUnionJackwasfirstcreatedin1606,whenKingJamesVIofScotlandbecameJamesIand unitedEngland,ScotlandandIreland.WalesandIrelandwereunderEnglishruleatthatpoint.Todaythe UnionJackiscomprisedofthreeflags: St.George’s,St.Andrew’sandSt.Patrick’sanditrepresentsthe UnitedKingdomofEngland,ScotlandandIrelandsince1801.AlthoughtheUnionJackisofficially addressedastheUnionFlag,itsappellationastheUnionJackcameintouseinthe17thcentury.In1908, ParliamentdeclaredthattheUnionJackshouldberegardedasthenationalflag. Asashiftinpowercanchangethediscourseofacountry,theUnitedKingdomhasexperienced

manychangesovertheyears.AlthoughWalesisnowindependentfromEngland,itsnationalflagwiththe reddragondoesnotappearintheUnionJack.Wheneachnationalflag,suchastheScottishortheWelsh, isheistedinitsdominance,itisasiftoinflameafeelingofnationalism,acounterforcetotheunionist approachoftheUnitedKingdom.ThisexposesthelimitationoftheUnionJackinthiscurrentpolitical climate. WhenIaskedforty-year-oldMichaelfromNorthernIrelandabouttheUnionJack,herolledup hissleeveandpointedatascaronhisarm.‘Thisiswhatthey(theunionists)didtome.Igotshotfor beingwhereIwasnotsupposedtobecauseIhadadeliverytomakeforwork.TheUnionJackmakesme feelsick!’ HealsovoicedhisnationalistviewbytellingmethatheisIrishandfromDerry‘whereBritish

callitLondonderry’.Twenty-five-year-oldStephenfromGalwaywouldagreewithMichael’ssentiment. ‘Doyouhaveatattoo?’ IaskedStephen.‘Sortof.’ Herepliedandshowedmehisupperarmwithscarsall overit.‘Aretheyletters?Whatdoesitsay?’ Iasked.Hetoldmethathewaswalkingdownastreetin NorthernIrelandandhegotcaughtbyagroupoftheloyalistUlsterFreedomFighterswhoburntrude wordsonhisarmwithcigarettes.BecausetheUnionJackwasusedbythoseloyalists,itpromptshimto

thinkofterrorismandoppression.Forsoldiersoranygroupofpeoplewhofightforthehonourofthe countryundertheUnionJack,theflagsymbolisestheirbeliefsormorale,viewsthataresometimestoo strongforotherstoshare. IwasnineteenwhenIfirstvisitedLondonanditwasDecember. Irememberbeingsurprisedby themulticulturalLondonandbythepeoplewearingdifferentstylesofclothing: religiouspeoplewiththeir cloaksandheadbands,peoplewearingstuddedleatherjacketsandDrMartinswhomI’mnowlikelyto seeinCamdenTown,andpeoplewearingovercoatsorcardigansorhoodiesorjustT-shirts.Thelengthof skirts,shortsandtrousersvariedinasmanywaysasispossible.Tome,Londonwassocolourfuland multi-shaped.ThiswasalsothefirsttimeInoticedmanypeoplewithtattoosontheirarms,legsorfeet exposedinflip-flops…inDecember.

Atthesametime,IsawmanyUnionJacksalloverthecity.IrememberthinkingthattheUnion JackwastheperfectsymbolforLondonbeingvibrantandfulloflife.Itfeltlikethemulticulturalcityof Londonhadaplaceformetoo,formetobewhoeverIwantedtobe.Thiswasmyfirstimpressionof London.Inevitably,IgotasouvenirwiththeUnionJackonitandbroughtapieceofLondonbackto Japanwithme.Eversincethen,theUnionJackseemedtoremindmeofsuchvibrantimagesofLondon andperhapsalsoofliberty,andIfoundmyselfdrawntotheUnionJackmoreandmore. IhavelivedinLondonforaroundtenyearsintotal.LondonisthecitythatIloveandIrelishits culture.EnglishisthelanguageIchosetospeak;Londonhasbecomemysecondhome.Ibelieveallthese sentimentsareespeciallystrongbecauseIamanoutsiderfromJapaninLondon.AlthoughJapanandthe UKaresimilarinhonouringtraditions,JapanisnotasmulticulturalastheUK.IespeciallyfindLondon

welcomingandembracing,andIfindthisfeelingreflectedinthedesignoftheUnionJack.Itconjuresup animageinmymind;atreewithitsbranchesstretchingoutlikewide-openarms.IfeelasthoughIam underthespelloftheUnionJackwithitspowerthatunitespeople.PeoplefromoutsidetheUKhavealso usedsimilarwordstodescribetheirimpressionsoftheUnionJack;itmakesthemthinkofopenness, freedomand‘thecountrywhichshowsaninterestinothercountries’. Afterlearningothers’ variedreactionstotheUnionJack,Iwascurioustofindouthowthe UnionJackwasperceivedasatattoodesign.IinterviewedtattooartistsinLondon.Oneartistfrom Shoreditchsaidthattheperceptionofatattoo‘dependsonwhowearsitandhowthepersonwearsit’ in relationtoitsmeaninganditspurpose.AnothertattooartistfromSohowarnedmeaboutthesensitivityof

theUnionJackinapoliticalcontext.‘Areyouworriedwhatpeoplethinkofit?Ifyouareworriedabout offendinganybodyevenwhenyourintentionisgood,don’tgetit.Itcanstirupthings.Youknowin Buddhism,swastikameanspeace.Youknowthat.Iknowthat.Butnoteverybodyknowsthat.Therewas anEnglishguywhobelievedinBuddhismandgotatattooofaswastikaonhisarm.Butoneday, strangerswhosawhisswastikaconfrontedhim,thinkinghewaspartoftheneo-Nazi.Theguysaid,“No,

thismeanspeaceinBuddhism.I’mpeaceful.”Buttheguygotbeatenup.Youcan’tchangetheway peoplethink.’ Ifoundthisstorymind-blowing.InJapan,swastikasarecalled manji andtheyareasymbolof harmonyinBuddhismandusedasasymbolofBuddhisttemplesonmaps.Igrewuplookingatthe symbolwithoutitsassociationwithNazis.WhenIlearnttheassociation,Iwasdeeplyoffended. Although ourswastikashavealongerhistory,swastikasnowmakepeoplethinkoftheNaziemblembecauseitwas usedinsuchanextremecontextandtheimagewastoopowerfultobeforgotten. InJapan,itisatabootohaveatattoo.Ifyouhaveone,youarenotallowedinpublic bathhouses,poolsandsomegyms.Itisbecausetattoosarestillassociatedwiththetraditionofyakuza, Japanesemafia.Althoughtheyoungergenerationtendstoregardtattoosaspartoffashionlikepiercings,

theoldergenerationstillhasthetraditionalimageofJapantoholdonto.AlocalauthorityinJapan enforcedatattoobanin2010.Iknowthatmyparentsandgrandparentswoulddefinitelybeagainstme gettingatattoobecauseofitsassociationwith yakuza.Also,theywouldsaysomethinglike,‘Howdare youeventhinkofdamagingyourpreciousskinonpurposejusttogetastupidmarkonyourbodythatisa preciousgiftfromyourparents?’ IhavealreadybeenthroughthisoncewhenIgotmypiercingsattheage ofthirteen. SincemyfirstvisittoLondon,Ihavebeenfascinatedwithpeople’scasualattitudestowards tattoos.Atattooislikeanaccessorytospiceupone’slookandshowone’suniquecharacter.Withevery tattooIsaw,Ibecamemoreinterestedinthemandstartedtowishtohaveonemyself.Butatfirst,Iwas notsurewhattattooIwanted.OnedaywhenIlookedaroundmyroom,myeyesmettheUnionJack.‘Of

course!’ Ithoughttomyself.TheUnionJack,thatissodeartomeandthatisnowpartofme.Iwould lovetoowntheUnionJackbutwhileIamunsurewhereIamgoingtoliveinthefuture,Imustremain patientfornow. TheUnionJackcanstirupcontroversyintheUKliketattooscaninJapan.Theperceptionofthe UnionJackisdifferentfromonepersontothenextandaspersonaltoeverybodyastattooscanbe. History,politics,religionorcultureaffectthewaywelookattheUnionJackandhowwefeelaboutit. MyUnionJackisstronglyattachedtoLondonbecauseofmylifethere.AtattoooftheUnionJackwill symbolisemyUnionJack.JustlikeIhavepersonalisedtheUnionJack,otherscanapplytheirindividual