Traditional Japanese Family Symbols
Family holds a significant place in the culture of Japan even till today. This is one of the reasons why the concept of the Family Crest still remains today. The roots of the concept can however be traced back to the 12th century. In Japan the family symbol are known by the name of Ka-Mon. Ka means family which has its own genealogical trees and Mon stands for emblem or crest.
At the same time, in Europe also a crest was popular named ‘Coat of Arms’. So many researches have been done around the similarity of these two traditions.
One thing is for sure, the Japanese family symbol boasts multiple and unique characteristics which are impossible to decipher by giving them generalized explanations.
Mon, the Japanese family symbols are commonly found in a round-shaped form, surrounding any figures like plants, animals, artificial materials and other natural or extraterrestrial figures. Really there are no restricted rules concerning the designing of these symbols.
All of these items are put on the family symbol in an abstracted form. The use of the Kanji script is also common in the family symbols. One can also find geometric shapes and religious symbols in the Japanese family emblem.
Although there are no predefined rules for the construction of mon symbols, their names are decided by the figures they consist of. Unlike the European symbols, the name is only a description of the symbol and does not reveal the real representation of it. The figures on these symbols turn into fashion throughout the ages as they get the label of tradition and mythology.
Normally we find that a mon is black and white in colour. In truth however the colour does not amount to the design and so there is no such restriction on the use of colour. Although modern usage is rare you will still find many modern Japanese families to have a mon. It is a fact that many Japanese people may be unable to identify their own family’s mon in today’s times.
When a family is in need of identifying their mon, the temple records that keep the registries of the ancestral places of people will come with help. There are a lot of other ways to find the mon of each family when they are required.
Some of the packed food items that come from Japan are marked with mon. You can avail a mon simply from the market or a craft shop to be used for your roof tiles and interior decorations.
Japanese family symbols are an integral part of the national culture. To read more about other aspects of Traditional Japanese art please click on the links.
