Japanese family crests- Kamon

 

What is kamon

The clan symbols, kamon, used to be very important in Japan. Each clan had a family crest of its own and these crests were widely displayed on war flags, armors, helmets, swords, kimonos, roof tiles, curtains, and even on the sidelines of the tatami flooring. Most family crests had different colors that influenced the color choice of the samurai armors. Initially, only the samurai clans had a family crest. During the late Edo period, almost every large family had a family crest that must be worn on the right and left sides of the kimono.

The samurai crests usually feature various flowers with strong roots (paulownia), leaves, crane, and a pine tree that represents longevity. The crest that looks like 3 swirls, mitsudomoe, is the common crest in Japan. It is used on the roof tiles of Shinto temples, on taiko drums and on some samurai armors. The 3 commas or 3 swirls symbolize 3 separate entities: man, earth, god. It is also used to represent Hachiman, the Shinto war god. Today some of the old family crests are reflected on famous company logos such as the Mitsubishi logo which has some roots in the founding families’ crests.

 

Japanese Family Crest – Kamon

• Historically, each clan had a family crest of its own and these crests were widely displayed on war flags, armors, helmets, kimonos, roof tiles, and even on the sides of the tatami flooring of each household.
• Most family crests had different colors that influenced the color choice of the samurai armors.
• Today, some traditional family crests are reflected in company logos such as Mitsubishi and Kikkoman.
• The family crest that looks like the Nazi symbol is for the Hachisuka clan, The symbol, that is upwards swastika leaning to the left side which is also called swastika, represents the Buddhist temple.
• The crest that looks like 3 swirls, mitsudomoe, is the common crest in Japan. It is used on the roof tiles of Shinto temples, on taiko drums, and on some samurai armors. The 3 commas or 3 swirls symbolize 3 separate entities: man, earth, god. It also represents Hachiman, the Shinto war god.

 

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The crests of the samurai clans