INTRODUCTION Kamon or family crests are art motifs, which have been adopted as insignia by families and handed down through the ages. The heraldic emblems of Japan are simpler and aesthetically finer than European coats of arms. The clarity and elegance of kamon are now highly valued throughout the world as a new design or motif, and applied widely in various ways in such fields as handicraft, interior and textile designs. In this book, 4,080 traditional crests are collected. The Yin (white on a black background) of each crest is presented on the left page, and the Yang (reversed motif) on the right page. Accordingly, the total number of motifs comes to 8,160. All the designs are free of copyright, so you can use them as they are or as a source of inspiration. -Editor

Find the beauty and meaning of over 850 family crests found in Japanese tradition

Family crests (mon) have been a Japanese tradition since the eleventh century, when they decorated the costumes and carriages of courtiers. Later, they were used to identify warriors on the battlefield, as heraldic decorations on formal costumes, and as ornament on the kimonos of the common people. Small, compact, and graceful, with a strong sense of style, crest designs are ideal for spot illustrations, as logos, or for any graphic purpose requiring the classic simplicity, purity, and strength of Japanese design. This volume presents a total of 540 permission-free motifs, carefully selected for graphic impact and usefulness from several thousand crests known to exist. Featured are a wide variety of stylized designs depicting plants, animals, natural phenomena, geometric shapes, and manufactured objects.Among the subjects included in this selection are such traditional Japanese motifs as bamboo, crane, lightning, cherry blossom, peony, plum blossom, wave, rice, circle, and hollyhock. Immensely useful, this volume of permission-free designs is not only an invaluable source of graphic material for artists, designers, and craftspeople, but a fascinating picture book of Japanese culture.

Over 1,700 compact, graceful designs — a traditional part of many Japanese family histories — are featured in this handsome, versatile collection. Depicting plant, leaf, animal, and fan designs in circular motifs; astronomical images, and more, the authentic, royalty-free crests are ideal for use as spot illustrations in a variety of graphic projects.

Compact, graceful designs that have endured for ages as an art form depict astronomical images, plant, leaf, and animal motifs, the chrysanthemum crest of the Imperial family, and hundreds of other subjects — all classics of their kind. Ideal for use in a variety of print and craft projects. 920 black-and-white illustrations.

A translation of a unique 17th-century compendium of samurai heraldry, annotated with the symbolism and stories behind the banners. O-umajirushi is the earliest surviving color compendium of Japanese crests and heraldry. At the time, woodblock printing was just starting to allow for widespread distribution of books in Japan. O-umajirushi took advantage of this technology to make color reproductions of the various banners and other devices used by 170 different samurai commanders. This translation presents copies of the original pages of O-umajirushi with translations, annotations, explanations, and comparisons, as well as 30 pages of context, background information, and historic images. It provides an in-depth look at samurai heraldry and into a key historical source.