Japanese Family Crest

Kamon (family crest)、 has been is an emblem passed down from generation to generation since ancient times. It initially represented a regional bond or a community spirit united by blood ties.

The original Kamon dates back to the Heian period when court nobles embellished their crest on the cow carriages, and samurai warriors employed their crests on the battle flags and armors armor.

In the Edo period, its designs had been emphasized, which resulted in increasing the variety.

Lucky plants were often used for the designs. From the Edo to Meiji period, the use of Kamon popularized, except some special family crests such as chrysanthemum for the Imperial family and hollyhock for *Tokugawa family.

Back then, commoners had no family name, so it was neccessary to define thier own family line with Kamon. For the that reason, most Japanese families have a family crest. Its variety is said to be more than 10,000. It is said that there are more than 10,000 varieties.

At present, Kamon can been seen only on crested kimono and gravestones, however, it was used to be integrated into everyday life as once seen on dinner trays, soup bowls and paper lanterns.

*The Tokugawa clan: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tokugawa_clan


(Thank you very much for your submissions Elanvital. I learn a lot from your passages!)