Japanese Family Crests

Japanese family crests are similar to that of European heraldry, coat of arms and shield of arms. In Japanese they are called mon (紋) meaning “crest” or kamon (家紋) which means “family crest”. These emblems serve as visual identity of family clans and genealogy.

The oldest record of Japanese family crest dates to 1100 and is still very much in use in today’s modern world. 

It first began amongst the privileged and aristocratic class, who used the stylized emblems on their property and clothing. Later the warrior class used emblems on flags, helmets, arms and so on as a means to distinguish who was foe and who was friend in the battlefield. The Edo period in the 17^th century was when Japan was in a state of peace and prosperity. The emblems began to spread as a tradition to trace family lineage and identity. Commoners were not allowed to use crests until the mid 19^th century when the class system was done away with in Japan. 

There are certain rules with how the family crest is passed down to successive generations. The original family crest is inherited by the eldest son from his father. When the second, third, other sons create their own families, they will instead create a modified version of the family crest. 

Modifications range from putting a square or ring around the emblem, or combining crests, originals, and different originals together. It can be that the sons will all use the same emblem. A woman may use the crest of her patriarchal family, and tradition dictates that it is smaller than her husband’s.

Common motifs are simplified forms of fauna and flora (which utilizes Japanese’s own unique flower language and symbolism). Purportedly there are more than 10,000 designs in existence. 

There are no legal regulations of crests unless they are registered as trademarks or logos of a business, though the imperial family’s crest of the golden chrysanthemum is understood to be completely off limits.

The logo of Mitsubishi is the most famous example of a modern usage of mon. In Japanese, the word Mitsubishi means "three water chestnuts",  which are represented as three diamond-shaped emblem. The logo is a combination of two family crests (the Yamuchi and Iwasaki families) by founder Yataro Iwasaki.                                                                                                                                                      

References:

1. http://bibliodyssey.blogspot.com/2011/12/japanese-family-crests.html
2. http://www.japanusencounters.net/mon/
3. http://www.geocities.ws/kazenaga23/crests.htm
4. http://www.oberlin.edu/amam/asia/mon/Default.html
5. http://www.tokyotrad.com/ebay/kamon_explain.htm
6. http://www.mitsubishi.com/e/group/mark.html
7. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kamon_(crest)