Kamon

From ImmortalGeisha

Kanji, Kana & Pronunciation

Romaji	Kamon
Kanji	家紋
Kana	かもん
Audio	Coming Soon
(n) family crest

Kamon (also mon 紋, monsho 紋章, monkodoro 紋所 or mon'you 文様, 紋様) are family crests used on formal kimono (and Maiko Darari obi) to identify the owner's family, clan, or Okiya. Casual kimono such as Komon and certain Iromuji, Tsukesage, Houmongi do not have any crests at all. Mid-range formality kimono will have either one or three crests on the back. Formal kimono such as Kurotomesode will have five. They are located on the back collar, backs of sleeves, and front lapels of the kimono. In general, the more formal a kimono, the more kamon it will have.

When not chosen for aesthetic value, kamon were sometimes chosen to represent a tool or item related to the family. A tailor may have had shears, a gardener could have had an eggplant. Two existing kamon were also occasionally combined when two households merged, creating new ones.

Modern kamon are typically dyed directly into the fabric of formal kimono. When the fabric is dyed small circles are left blank and the areas filled in after the item is purchased. However, it is not uncommon to see embroidered kamon on slightly less formal items such as houmongi or iromuji. There also exists a variation known as hana-mon, which are much larger and more elaborate, often comprised of multiple colours. They are typically only put on youthful items such as furisode, and are not as formal as standard dyed or simply embroidered kamon.

As with many other aspects of kimono, there have been variations in kamon over the years. During the Edo era (and prior), they were large and dramatic, often forming a significant visual part of the design on an item. As time as has passed, they have dramatically decreased in size, to the point of being nearly indistinguishable on many modern kimono.

Kamon locations on kimono

Kimono with one crest (back view)

Kimono with three crests (back view)

Kimono with five crests (front view - back is same as 3-crest view)

Example Kamon

This is a small sampling of some popular kamon. There are thousands of possible permutations and variations of style, line width, shape, and combinations of motifs, so a compliation of all kamon currently in use is virtually impossible. However, for a larger series of examples, please visit the Otomiya Japan Emblem Library

Aoi (hollyhock)	Asanoha (hemp pattern)	Botan (peony)	Chidori (plover)	Chidori (plover)
Dango (dumplings)	Ebi (Lobster)	Fuji (wisteria)	Fuji (wisteria)	Fumi (folded ribbon)
Fune (ship)	Gyōyō (Apricot leaf)	Hagi (Bush clover)	Hamaguri (clamshells)	Hanabishi (flower diamond motif)
Hanabishi (flower diamond motif)	Hanabishi (flower diamond motif)	Hasami (shears)	Hashigo (ladder)	Hasu (lotus)
Hasu (lotus)	Hata (flags)	Hei (monk's staff)	Hi-ashi (rising sun emblem)	Hi-ashi (rising sun emblem)
Houou (phoenix)	Idutsu (crib)	Ikari (anchor)	Inazuma (lightning)	Ine (rice)
Ichimatsu (checked pattern)	Ichimatsu (checked pattern forming Manji)	Itomaki (thread bobbin)	Itomaki (thread bobbin)	Kaede (maple)
Kagami (three mirrors)	Kamashiki sakura (kettle rest in cherry blossom shape)	Karigane (goose)	Kasa (magic hat from takara)	Katabami
Ki	Kiku (chrysanthemum)	Kiku (chrysanthemum)	Kikyo (bellflower)	Kikyo (bellflower)
Kine (mochi-pounding mallet)	Kiri (paulownia)	Kiri (paulownia)	Kiri (paulownia)	Kiri (paulownia) and Fuji (wisteria)
Koma (spinning top)	Kuginuki (pliers/handle)	Kumo (cloud)	Kuruma (cart wheel)	Kurusu (cross)
Manji (swastika)	Mari (baseball)	Matsu (pine)	Matsu (pine)	Matsu (pine needles)
Mokkou (flowering quince)	Momo (peach)	Momo (peach)	Nadeshiko (dianthus)	Nami (waves)
Nanten (nandina)	Nasubi (eggplant)	Tabane Noshi (celebratory ribbons)	Tabane Noshi (celebratory ribbons)	Omodaka (mallow)
Ougi (fan)	Ran (orchid)	Sakura (cherry blossom)	Sakura (cherry blossom)	Sakura (cherry blossom)
Sasa (bamboo)	Sasa-rindou (flowering bamboo)	Shippou (interlocking circle)	Suzu (bell)	Tachibana (asian citrus)
Tachibana (asian citrus)	Takanoha (hawk feather)	Takanoha (hawk feather)	Tama (Buddhist tool)	Tomoe (traditional comma design)
Tomoe (traditional comma design)	Tonbo (dragonfly)	Torii (shrine gates)	Tsuchi (water-wheel with mallet)	Tsuchi (mallet)
Tsuki and Hoshi (moon and stars)	Tsuki and Sakura (moon and cherry blossom)	Tsuno (antlers)	Tsuru (crane)	Tsuru (crane) and Ume (plum blossom)
Tsuru (crane)	Tsuta (ivy)	Tsuta (ivy)	Tsuta (ivy)	Tsuzumi (hand drum)
Tsuzumi (hand drum)	Tyo (butterfly)	Tyo (butterfly)	Tyo (butterfly)	Uchiwa (fan)
Uchiwa (fan)	Ume (plum blossom)	Ume (plum blossom)	Uroko (fish scale)	Usagi (rabbit)
Yama (mountain)	Yama (mountain)	Yukiwa (snow)	Yukiwa (snow)	Zeni (coins)

Photo Gallery

Photos showing visible kamon
Five-crested kurotomesode	Group of maiko with kamon on darari obi	Maiko with kamon on darari obi, Geisha with kamon on formal kimono(back view)	Tenugui with Ninben Okiya kamon copyright Onihide
Japanese American Internment Memorial in San Jose, CA More info	Close-up of the kamon on the previous Memorial sculpture

Kamon of note

Kamon in modern culture

Some crests have gained recognition or notoriety for a number of reasons

	This particular variant of the Kiku crest is the official seal of the Japanese Imperial Family. It can be seen on many official documents coming from the Imperial Household as well as more common things such as Japanese passports
	This kamon was made famous due to its affiliation with the Tokugawa Shogunate.
	This particular Kiri kamon is very common on modern items, due to its having been adopted as the "Everyman" crest. If a person needs a formal crested kimono and does not have their own family crest, or is not familiar with it, this is an acceptable substitute. Due to this, a huge number of formal rental kimono are decorated with it.
	The Manji or swastika design is a traditional Buddhist motif and is still to this day used as a demarcation on maps to show the location of shrines. Unfortunately, due to historical misappropriations it has very strong negative emotional connotations for many people, and has fallen out of favour, but can still be found on formal items.
	The logo of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is the Mitsubishi (three diamonds) kamon. This is probably the best example of a traditional kamon saturating popular culture.
	The Mitsudomoe (three tomoe) is a design commonly found on Taiko drums and Buddhist shrines as well as on several flags of now-defunct island principalities around Japan. It is also commonly used on Okinawan items, and can be seen in the anime Naruto