Kamon – The crests of Japanese clans

Kamon refers to a crest used in Japan to indicate someone’s origins; that is, the lineage of a family, ancestry, and status since ancient times. It is also simply referred to as mondokoro [紋所], monshou [紋章] or mon [紋].

There are over 20,000 individual kamons in Japan. The crests are often called Family Crests. Kamon is a unique culture and tradition that you can only find in Japan.

What does Kamon mean?

The word Kamon [家紋] means “house” [家] and “emblem” [紋]. The Kamon are the Japanese heraldic symbols or emblems of clans (families). The mon serves a similar function to the coats of arms in European heraldry.

It is estimated that there are more than two thousand family emblems derived from standard Kamon. The patterns of Kamon are generally circular geometric shapes. They can also have natural elements such as animals, plants, flowers, trees, objects, and others.

Celestial elements like the moon and stars or religious symbols like the Buddhist swastika are also inspirations for the emblems. Through the kamon, it was possible to distinguish the origin, history, and social status of a Japanese family.

Today the term “Kamon” is also used to indicate a person’s origins. From family lineage, bloodline, ancestry, and status from ancient times.

Origin and history of Kamon in Japan

It is believed that the emblems emerged in the Asuka Period under foreign influence. In the Heian Period, the nobility began to place their own crest on their ox carts and walked through the streets, displaying their crest. Subsequently, it became popular among the nobles and various crests were created.

The crests of the samurai warriors were created later than those of the nobility at the end of the Heian period, when the conflict between the Heiji clan and the Genji clan became more violent. The crests were soon used to identify enemies and allies.

The emblems were displayed on flags called sashimono [指物] that were carried on the backs of soldiers. On the horses of some cavalry soldiers, a pennant known as umajirushi [馬印] was used.

As the ages passed, the kamon became even more prominent, being displayed even on traditional clothing. The Mon were typically affixed to the back and front of the shoulders and below the tail, on the back.

The use of Kamon among samurai and nobility

The kamon is an example of Japan’s own culture, which has been used to this day. A kamon was created to represent a family’s identity, clearly revealing the family name of its owner.

Subsequently, the samurai and nobility made use of these crests. Each group consists of a representative crest and its variations. Eventually, they spread and were used on tombs, furniture, and ships.

It was natural for the crests to be placed on weapons such as katana and kacchu. However, although there were no limitations, the unrestricted use of crests from other families often caused friction.

Especially when using the crest of a higher class, such as a daimyo or shogun , it created more friction. Therefore, there was an unspoken rule to avoid using the crest that was already used by the high-class clan or family as much as possible.

Curiosities about Kamon in Japan

To this day, Kamon is used in various places in Japanese society. The logos of Mitsubishi and Yamaha are derived from a Kamon, as well as several other food and product companies have their logos based on a kamon.

There are kamon exclusive to certain people, as well as a single kamon can be used by different families with the same surname. Today, these crests can even be found on the flags of Japanese cities and provinces.

Perhaps this is a key factor for the Japanese flag being a simple red circle.

You can find the crests and emblems of your family by surname and other regional characteristics using specialized websites like kisetsumimiyori.com and myoji-yurai.net.