The second one is “JAPANESE DESIGN MOTIFS”, the catalog of kamons which includes 4260 Japanese family crests it’s good to have a grasp of the richness of the variety of the kamon. Elements Of Japanese Design: Handbook Of Family Crests, Heraldry & Symbolism on Amazon Detailed history and description of symbolism can make you familiar with these beautiful patterns. It is the best book for anyone who wants to have a comprehensive understanding of Japanese family crest. The first and the best book we recommend is “THE ELEMENTS OF JAPANESE DESIGN”. Let us introduce you two books about the Japanese family crest. However, the culture of Kamon has stayed alive to the present. In 1868, the class system was abolished by modernization, everybody was allowed to use a family name again. So the numbers of Kamon increased exponentially. For that reason, Kamon was needed to distinguish between own family and others among the people. The Edo administration ordered common people not to use a family name. In this job, you have to distinguish each party precisely and Kamon came in very handy for this reason. In this era, in order to give rewards to samurai’s services on the battlefield accurately, there were people who were assigned to watch closely the battle and gave a report about who had done the most rewarding service. Not just different colored flags, but samurai started to have their own crest.
It is a well-known fact that Genji and Heishi fought the furious battle at the end of the Heian period they used white flags and red flags to distinguish own troops and the army.īushido Virtues: Samurai Code of Conduct Holds Good Japanese Patterns: Traditional Motifs and Designs Japanese Family Crests 1 (Pinterest)Īt the age of Civil Wars, samurai began using Kamon as well. Japanese Family Crest, Plant Crests 2, Ume-mon ()Īround this time, the family crest was only for the nobles just like the western society, but we entered the phase other class began to use family crest at the request of the period. And every Kamon has a meaning and there are 5,116 kinds of Kamon confirmed today. On the other hand, every family has Kamon regardless of its position in Japan. In Europe, only the privileged classes were allowed to have the crest. You were able to distinguish which stuff belong to whose family by its patterns of the crest. They began to create their own family crest, Kamon gradually.Īt that time, simple and natural patterns like flowers and plants were adopted. The nobles put beautiful patterns on various goods and they enjoyed its beauty.
Kamon the Avant-garde: Interview with Japanese Family Crest Artisansīrief History of Japanese Family Crest: Kamon Japan Family Crest, Plant Crests 1 (It is considered that Kamon was seen since the Heian period (794-1185). You can create your own Kamon even you don’t have Japanese kamon yourself.
Translation Service Japanese/EnglishĬheck out our interview with Mosho Uwaeshi, the Japanese family crest artisans in Tokyo. We translate from personal items, documents/certificates, to family registers. We offer translation service, from Japanese to English and vice versa. Japanese Surnames: Top 10 Ranking, Origin and its Meanings Translation Service Japanese/English (We no longer answer questions in the comment section.)
Given popular demand of searching family crest and roots, we have launched the Japanese Family Crest Consulting Service.įor those of you who have interests in finding one’s Kamon and family roots, please take a look at Japanese Family Crest Consulting Service. We will take a look at Kamon history, some famous samurai family crests and various scenes we see Kamon today. Its design is unique, sophisticated, and each has its meaning. However, in Japan, every family has its own crest which is called Kamon in Japanese. Japanese Family Crest – it is only for the Royal Family and the nobles in the western world, the family crest. Tsuta-mon (ivy) as Matsuyama Family Crest in Kakuda, Miyagi, Japan