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Kamon / family crest

Kamon - 家紋

The concept of the Family Crest in Japan is still alive today, although its identified history goes far back to the beginning of the 12th century. Generally, the Family Crest in Japan is called KA-MON, KA means "family with own genealogical trees" and MON means "crest" or "emblem". Similarly, in European history, the concept of Heraldry and use of unique Shield of Arms or Coat of Arms also existed, with its history tracing back to a similar period in the 12th century.

The picture above is a parade of the Top Ten among Japanese family crests, i.e. their basic designs have been most often used in cranking up other family crests since before the first thousand years. Besides the 18-petalled golden chrysanthemum, which is the Imperial Family's crest, the most widespread crest designs consist of the following (the clans that are mentioned first are those whose crests are shown as examples of each category in the main picture above):

Shapes are quite simple but considerable in their proportion. It's rumored that Louis Vuitton gets influenced by these shape.

Guess how many kamon, family crests, exist in Japan! Well, there are about 20,000 with each one of them having a rich historical background. Impressive! So, kamon with a hollyhock, chrysanthemum, star or moon design are just beginning: For today, PingMag introduces you to the genki world of Japanese kamon with tons of fabulous animal symbols.

Set of four Japanese family crest images. Includes a ginkgo leaf in the shape of a flying crane, three ginkgo leaves in a circle, three hollyhock or ginger leaves enclosed in a circle, and a basket weave diamond. These are images found on clothing and other Japanese items which designate the family lineage. Each of these images is 5/6 inch wide, a perfect size for a variety of applications including dominoes, slide mailers, polymer and metal clays for jewelry, one inch tiles, etc.

Sukashi Tetsu Tsuba These tsuba are made from forged iron (tetsu) plate and have designs or patterns cut into them. Some of the more elaborate could take up to three months to complete. Sukashi work is of two basic types: Ko-sukashi:   in negative relief, where a minor design is cut into the plate (e.g. a cherry blossom); these tsuba were often produced by swordsmiths (tosho) or armour-makers (katchushi or kacchushi), however many were also produced by tsubako of different schools and signed. Ji-sukashi:   in positive relief, where a large amount of the plate is removed, and the design is formed by the plate that remains. There are two forms of ji-sukashi: (a) yo- (you) sukashi, a positive silhouette where metal is removed to leave a solid shape; and (b) kage-sukashi, a type of negative silhouette where only the outline of the design remains, such as with a pencil drawing.