Which KAMON Crest Are We Allowed to Use Freely?

[@yokoboo]

My family's crest is the mokou-mon, and was specifically handed down from mothers to their daughters. It's nice to be able to hear more about it and kamon in general

[@ghonda2865]

Are u japanese ?

[@nrmnthompson]

@@ghonda2865 Yes. Many Japanese Americans have Western names. I have two sets of names, a Japanese given and clan name, and my American set. Plus I also know the clan she is referencing. I am related.

[@ghonda2865]

@@nrmnthompson Interesting. I'm also a japanese descendant my full Name is Gabriel Honda, but i dont know much about the culture. My Grandfather didn't taught us about many things since he wanted our family to adapt to western society. i'm From Brazil

[@nrmnthompson]

@@ghonda2865 Nice to meet you. I am Norman Yukio Abe Thompson. I must say though, Brazil has the largest population of Japanese outside of Japan, and I am sad to say I dont know much about it.

[@POSEANREAL]

Sheeesh (They don't know im chinese heheheheh)

[@calar8]

It just now hit me that the logos for Mitsubishi and Toyota are actually just the family Kamon.

[@tile-maker4962]

The Toyota logo we see today was invented in 1989. However there is a "Toyotomi" Kamon that has probably nothing to do with the Toyoda family exists. When you look closely at Sakichi Toyoda's kamon kimono in his wikipedia, it does have kamons on both sides that if my eyes don't deceive me, looks like the Ikeda clan kamon.

[@EmmanuelLapierre]

The mitsubishi logo is not exactly a kamon, but was built from 2 kamon: the one from the founder of mitsubishi - iwasaki family which where 3 losanges stacks on top of each other (each losanges representing a water chestnut). And the one from its first employer ( Tosa clan) which was three leafs positionned as the current logo is. Fun fact, the name Mitsubishi came later after the logo and is a description of the logo: Mitsubishi = Mitsu Hishi = 3 water chestnuts.

[@ronin2167]

@@EmmanuelLapierre That's not what I was told,. mitsu = 3 and ishi 石 = stone, jewel or precious stone....hence the 3 diamonds. Maza is also a family name changed from Matsuda because there is no tsu sound in English.

[@stevenytcx]

菱

[@FoxyPercival714]

Even the Triforce from Zelda was a famous family Kamon.

[@ジョジョさま]

When the Japenese depicted George Washington around the time that America was new, they drew him wearing traditional Japenese garb, with the Tokugawa crest. Thats some high respect. They also may have depicted him fighting tigers...yeah that totally happened, I promise.

[@shanedoesyoutube8001]

Ay yo what??? Like GW being the distant descendant of the matsudaira/Tokugawa clan

[@ジョジョさま]

@@shanedoesyoutube8001 Because of what the Tokugawa represent. The ushering in of a new era, without the emperor...until the meiji restoration. And also, unification.

[@shanedoesyoutube8001]

@@ジョジョさま "...without the emperor" Which would be England's King what's-his-face in the 13 colonies' case That and where the fuk did they get an idea of him fighting tigers??? Pretty sure those were UK tigers but does England have them in the first place (natively)???

[@sebaschan-uwu]

@@shanedoesyoutube8001 england does not have tigers lmao

[@azmiraclegirl441]

We need a coin with that image engraved on it

[@Tioko]

13:45 Suddenly I realize why Fire Emblem Three Houses put so much emphasis on Crests specifically. Sure, in that universe the Crests are brands with magical power not necessarily tied to specific families, but the connection between them and Kamon and the cultural influence is so obvious now.

[@Ninjaananas]

They also work as a religious legitimation for power and various misdeeds. That's why they are to blame.

[@rena--chan]

hello, fellow Fire Emblem fan, I am here because of these Crests too >

[@toolatetothestory]

Ohhhhh, I didn't even make that connection!

[@_Just_Another_Guy]

Real-life Europeans also used crests/symbols/kamons too! Although they were mostly restricted to royal and noble families. For example, the Windors (Queen Elizabeth II's family) all have their various monograms personalized. And each regent (Reigning King or Queen) carries a symbolic crest which has all other past crests of the previous kings/queen regnant.

[@jangtheconqueror]

If you actually pay attention, most Japanese media has pretty obvious but deep connections to their culture, which obviously makes sense.

[@TohnoEn]

Shogo, let me say this: you're an excellent communicator. It's very, very rare that I'll watch long videos all the way to the end, but I always watch yours. I think your biggest quality is that you have a nice, clean structure and script, and so the length of your videos always feels justified. Contrast this with content creators that will drone on and waste a lot of time. Congrats, man. Keep it up.

[@vincentlee7359]

His job other than KZbin requires him to use effective communication.

[@imanijones54]

This

[@holynightwingfan4510]

Exactly like this. His videos are pretty smooth and has a sense of "cleanliness" that makes them enjoyable to watch, even for a longer period of time. And his way of speaking is so calm and well structured that I've even recommended his videos for people who are trying to learn english :)

[@holynightwingfan4510]

Exactly like this. His videos are pretty smooth and have a sense of "cleanliness" that makes them enjoyable to watch, even for a longer period of time. And his way of speaking is so calm and well structured that I've even recommended his videos for people who are trying to learn english :)

[@jarjargod5127]

Oh wow, 20 minutes is long? Maybe I’m wasting too much time on this app haha

[@Br0ns0n]

An explanation. A demonstration. A practical application. An after action recap. This method of video is the best in the world. Thank you for the video. Well done, sir.

[@adreabrooks11]

Your description of the use of the hollyhock plant reminds me of some of the motifs used in Scottish tartans (the plaid colours commonly seen in Scottish kilts, etc.). For example: my mother's family, the MacKays, use a green and purple-blue hue that I always considered rather ugly as a child. I later learned that these colours were symbolic of (among other things) the thistle that grows in the clan's rugged, traditional homeland. Although the thistle is considered by many to be a weed, it grows in poor, rocky soil - places where more esteemed plants could never survive. Now, I don't feel so hesitant about using these clashing colours. :) It's interesting to see the parallels between tartan and kamon. It's yet another reminder about how people are the same, all over the world.

[@Nyx-Aphelion]

Being born in the United States its always cool to find out more of my family's history in places I never expect. When my family immigrated well before I was born we had to loose alot of the Japanese identity and it was only exacerbated by WWII. One thing that did survive all of that was our kamon, the gozan no kiri, an image id see marked all over the place when it came to our family during my childhood. Kinda gives me that "small world" feeling seeing stuff like this.

[@raisyrosye7656]

Aww, I'm glad you have a little piece of your heritage with you!

[@chungawumba2637]

Some of my ancestors were members of the Samurai class so my family's Kamon is the Sasa Rindō. It is also known as the Minamoto Clan Crest as it was used by the Minamoto Clan as well as it's branching Samurai Clans. It has 5 sasa leaves pointing downward with 3 rindo flowers sitting on top. I love it.

[@ahuman5125]

I love kamon. I actually tried to create my own kamon that looks like the Yorkshire rose but in a Japanese style. Although I might try to create a few more versions of it. Amazing video Shogo, thank you so much :)

[@Shawshankdude2005]

I’ve been trying to either find or come up with one my own. It’s been hard, it can’t be just anything. There should be something personal reflected in it.

[@outboundflight4455]

That's a pretty cool idea. I'm considering making one now for my family but using the tropical Bougainvillea that grow around my hometown.

[@ahuman5125]

@@Shawshankdude2005 Yeah the meaning has to be the most important part of a kamon. The meaning I've assigned to the Yorkshire kamon is that most my family live and have grown up there but as has been said, meaning is the key part of kamon

[@ahuman5125]

@@outboundflight4455 That's also a really cool idea, as has been said, the connection is of course really important for kamon

[@pricadimitri1845]

There's a subreddit and an associated discord server about Kamon design. While it isn't exactly hopping, it's great to have people to exchange design thoughts with!

[@adityamuley87]

Shogo is wearing a Fujiwara crest. Fujiwara clan famously married their daughters into the Imperial Family allowing them control of the Heian court for 200 years. - Linfamy

[@jeraldbaxter3532]

Thank you! I noticed that and am wondering if he is a member of the Fujiwara family \clan.

[@Vandakai]

@@jeraldbaxter3532 He could be as the Fujiwara were more political monks more than anything and were not on the mainland which my point is that they were not in the hardest battles that raged across Japan at that time period so it is possible he could be.

[@gardenvarietygames]

This channel is absolutely fascinating. Since subscribing, I can't remember how or why it popped up for me, but I'm extremely glad it did. Definitely a fan. Arigatto gozaimasu!

[@christianalbertjahns2577]

Perhaps my favorite kamon is Ishida's kamon, which is a calligraphy of sentence(?) that reads "dai ichi dai man dai kichi" which very roughly translates to "one for all and all for one and heaven bless the land"

[@Aerodumb]

This is so interesting! I'm a graphic designer and seeing how people have always represent themselves with symbols makes me think this is a natural thing for us. My personal logo contains kestrel feathers, so you can guess which was my favorite kamon

[@nobunagascat4139]

Once i wrote an article about kamon, so i thought i learned a lot about this theme, but this video was surprisingly interesting. Never heared that Nobunaga used 7 kamons. Thanks for teaching us, Shogo! Also a great thanks for naming kimono and kamon shops. I spent a lot of time to find kimono shop early...

[@keikohosokawa7560]

I do actually use my familys crest, I discovered my connection to them that my family had kept hidden for a long time. I now use the crest of the Hosokawa family, its quite basic and hard to find items for but I am happy to represent my family

[@thatone846]

Why/how would your family hide that from you?

[@tableslayer1]

When I trained in Iaido, we all used the Katabami-mon. After almost 20 ish years of training, I didn't know much about it. All I knew about it was then our head teacher was picking one to you to start his schools in England when his teacher said to use his. It will always have a special with me and I'm glad I now know a little more about it. Thank you for being a great teacher.

[@jedijim3]

The Katabami-mon looks like a shamrock to me! I’m of Irish ancestry, so it definitely has an appeal to me.

[@sebaschan-uwu]

It literally is a shamrock

[@anno5936]

Yeah, it was the crest of ginger head samurai 😁

[@justiceofbook]

He says it's based off of a clover lol

[@natebeans]

Shogo seems like a Japanese Japanophile who has respect and understanding for non-Japanese Japanophiles. Cool guy and great channel!

[@Gochen86]

I've had an idea for a kamon of my own since summer of 1992, after having becoming interested in Japanese culture and history. I was five at the time, so forgive the apparent silliness of the design. It consists of only three parts: A crescent moon with the tips pointed upwards, a pair of katana resting crossed atop the moon, and a rokakku shuriken hovering just above the katana. It's a design that in my eyes represented three things that to this day, I consider the core of my love of Japan. The moon represents purity of the soul, such as what one would seek from a pilgrimage of the shrines that dot the land. The paired katana represent honor, justice, and the bushido code (which inspires me to be the best I can be). And the rokakku shuriken represenst loyalty, and is a reminder of one's mortality. "None can live eternally, so live your life to the best of your ability, but strive to remain kind, just, honorable, and loyal." This is the creed of my kamon, and I try my best to uphold it, though it can be difficult at times. Shogo-San, I'd love to hear your thoughts on my kamon and its creed. Even though I'm American, I hope to one day visit Japan, and hope that if that day comes, I can show my kamon to you with pride.

[@JamesJohnson-ok1hn]

I wish this site and others like this were around when i was studying East west humanities in college. I say this because the way you present the information has made the subject matter more interesting. I now can get a better grasp of the different periods in japans history . Keep up the great work! Thank You for presenting us with some awesome content..

[@Snow-Willow]

Yooooo, a fellow Michigander! Hello from a native Michigander who's learning Japanese. This video was a lucky algorithm find, super interesting stuff, thank you for making it and I'm glad I stumbled upon your channel.

[@myeramimclerie7869]

it's so great that you can choose your Kamon freely 😍 I personally identify with the Tokugawa crest. Groing up my Karate Dojo hat the name and crest of the Tokugawa family. Exercising Karate there taught me a lot, gave me a family and memories I will never forget. I sweat, fought, cried and laughed with this Kamon on my chest and I really love and honor it. 😊

[@TheWasteOfTime]

Being a practitioner of Yagyu Shinkage Ryu, I've generally used the Nigasa for things. I've got a montsuki with it that I wear for embu or formal events. When my sensei got married, he double checked with his sensei that it'd be appropriate for him to have the kamon on his kimono.

[@Spookspek]

Oh, so that's what these are called! I always thought old Japanese logos were ahead of their time. I actually (unintentionally) designed one with a similar aesthetic for my future startup already, so I guess I'm set.

[@godfreyhamshire]

Greetings, firstly thank you for this most interesting and informative video. I am a fan of Japanese movies. Especially the work of Akira Kurosawa and others. One of my hobbies is to make my own clothes, I also do my own embroidery digitising from clip art and other sources. Knowing that I can choose and use Kamon is a great idea to embellish any shirts plan to make in the future. You have just given me a great idea to make a kimono and embroider a Kamon on it. Thank you again for your many videos I enjoy your clear concise style and please keep up the good work. Regards.

[@purpleicicles]

If you would like more info on making kimono, I highly recommend checking out Billy Matsunaga on KZbin - she has tutorials and videos on the history of these fascinating garments! Best of luck in your future makes!

[@SilverGaia]

I wanted to adopt a Japanese kamon, but one adopted me instead and it is called Maruni Tsurukashiwa. I have an old Nobori with this kamon on it. The nobori is from late sengoku to early Edo. I also came across the same kamon in 10k gold pendant form and I’ve had them for 2 almost 3 years now.🌸

[@eyeperture]

Thank you Shogo, you’ve been covering so many interesting ares of Japanese culture & history. Well narrated and well edited.

[@EruWan_Ernest]

Love this episode.Thank You! Kamons till 16 century reminds me of European noble crest. And later they become something like very elegant brand. Would love to design my own kamon.

[@davestrides]

your storytelling abilities are amazing! your videos are so educational and interesting to watch

[@LetsaskShogo]

●KAMON Stickers www.zazzle.com/kamon+stickers ●Tozando: KAMON Kimono Set tozandoshop.com/collections/iaido-uniform-sets/products/embu-uniform-set-heian-tailors-dogi-stiped-hakama?variant=34836704526469 ●Hiiragiya-Shinshichi: Where you can make KAMON items www.black-silk.com/contents/category/english/ ▼Who is Shogo? What is this channel about?▼ kzbin.info/www/bejne/pJmokqB-m9-sr8k ▼Related videos in this channel▼ -Kyoto Hidden Gems kzbin.info/aero/PLp... -[China & Japan] The complicated relationship between China & Japan through the story of our marriage! kzbin.info/www/bejne/gJOYm5aKhpWHlZI -Japanese returnees react to “things that returnees do & experience”! Bullying & discrimination... kzbin.info/www/bejne/j6XYm6h-acl4kKs ▼MY DREAM▼ kzbin.info/www/bejne/e5jSqHyMlNCUnaM “To make every Japan lovers’ dream come true, by making Japan a more secure, comfortable, and safer place for everyone to visit, study, and live in” I will be using the profit I gain from this channel at restaurants, hotels, and cultural facilities in Kyoto to introduce them. The more you watch the videos on this channel, Kyoto and Japan will become a more exciting place, and you can support your own and others’ dreams in the future even more. ▼Join our Membership▼ kzbin.info/door/n7D... ●Membership benefits -Limited behind-the-scene videos kzbin.info?list... -Weekly live stream -Priority reply to comments Every single yen we earn from this membership, we will be donating to groups of people who are fighting to solve social problems in Japan, the Japanese schools where foreign students can study, or use it to spread the works of people working with traditional culture in Japan to preserve the arts they are doing. ▼[Sub-channel] “Shogo’s Podcast”▼ kzbin.info/door/ZAe... Please subscribe!! The perfect channel to learn about Japanese culture and history in your spare time, during your walk to school or work, and when you are cooking or doing house chores. Not only will I be covering the topics in this main channel, but also some topics that you will only be able to enjoy in the sub-channel, like answering questions I receive, and my opinions towards some of the comments. ▼[Listen to the real voices of the Japanese] "Voices from Japan series"▼ kzbin.info/aero/PLp... ▼[For YOU traveling to Kyoto] "Kyoto Hidden Gems" series▼ kzbin.info/aero/PLp... ▼Instagram▼ instagram.com/lets_ask_sh... *Please ask me questions through the DM here!（⚠️I do not use e-mail） ▼Shogo’s profile▼ Hello everyone, and thank you for watching my videos! I’m Shogo, a Kyoto born & Hiroshima raised Japanese, that grew up in Michigan USA for 6 years, and studied Mandarin in Beijing university for a year! I live in Kyoto now, as I train in Iaido(katana), Sado(tea ceremony), and Noh theatre(traditional stage art). In this channel, you can take a closer look at Japanese traditional culture, tips on traveling to Kyoto, and social problems in Japan. So learners and lovers of Japanese language and culture, be sure to subscribe to enjoy more content! If you enjoyed this video, please hit the LIKE button, and share with your friends and family! My goal is “to achieve 1,000,000 subscribers by January 2023”, so your help would mean a lot!

[@outboundflight4455]

Shogo im not sure if you know of Shoryu Hatoba he's a famous Kamon designer in Japan. Would be cool of all the followers knew about him. He even has videos in Japanology on KZbin!

[@mileszeze9824]

I actually know my family’s Kamon and it has been in my family throughout the samurai times.

[@mikepope5570]

if you move to japan, can you design your own original kamon?

[@outboundflight4455]

@@mileszeze9824 what does it look like? Does it have a name?

[@mileszeze9824]

@@outboundflight4455 honestly I’m super confused about it but our family name is Tabata. So the reason I’m confused is because I saw that my family kamon named other names like Miura and Ashina. The Kamon is essentially a circle with 3 med sized lines going horizontally through. But because it is not a well known Kamon I can’t find much info. 😂

[@princekyun]

Thank you for the well scripted well edited videos. Very easy to digest even with the expansive history of these crests. Really enjoying your channel!! Please make more yokai videos if possible!

[@ManjushageP]

I'm so glad I subscribed, I've been really into researching kamon in the past couple of days and you upload this video just on time! Thank you so much!

[@fresnobear63]

Thank you for the informative video. I was excited to see you wearing my Great grandmother's family crest! Her family where landlords in the Hiroshima area.

[@Mamoru0Hasukage]

Ive found some kimono and haori designs of the Date Kamon, of which I am quite fond of. I appreciate Date Masamune and his contributions to agriculture, as well as the fictional representations of him. For those unaware: Date Masmune founded one of the longest lasting cities in Japanese history: Sendai. He was known for agricultural planing and his fierce warrior status despite missing his right eye. However, depictions of him in art show him with both eyes, at his request. The kamon his family has is quite unique and super complex. I just love it!

[@annesuekocoyle1956]

Aloha from Hawai’i, I have been seeking information on our family kamon for a long time. It seems ours was adopted during Meiji period. We always thought this was presumptive behavior but today I learned it is completely acceptable and nothing to be ashamed of. I appreciate this so much. A very deep thanks to you and aloha.

[@chrismanuel9768]

My family was big enough in England to have a family crest of it's own. I think if I ever made my own kamon I'd want to design one based on my English family's crest

[@AzraelThanatos]

If I remember right from the relatively short period of time that I was studying various associated things with a karate dojo nearby before a lot of issues (the last part being that the family running it had no idea how to handle finances) there is a seventh major type that is semi-recognized that developed from outside symbols and crests being incorporated into it. Two examples being the triqueta and triskelion that slipped in and originated from european contact

[@grumpykittyboy]

I bought a koto last month (and a beautiful kuriko at that!) from Yahoo Japan Auctions and have it shipped overseas. The seller sold it with a big wooden case, and both the case and the koto itself are paired with the maru ni tachibana lacquer engraving in them. Love the craftsmanship!

[@renzo_kookin4208]

these videos give me asmr, your voice is so nice and enjoyable to listen to

[@SeaSerpentLevi]

Japanese history is sooo freaking cool and interesting man, i could literally listen all day T_T Thanks for your super amazing videos Shogo

[@angelwings06]

This is fascinating! I recently started collecting kimono (a little over a year ago) and purchased a beautiful houmongi with a scene of ducks (my favorite animal) along the hem and autumn leaves across the shoulder. It's my favorite kimono, and since it has the fuji-mon kamon (with the wisteria blossoms hanging down, sagari-fuji, exactly like yours) on the center back I've decided that if a kimono has a kamom on it I would only get it if it's the sagari-fuji kamon. I kind of adopted myself into that family via this kimono, so I guess that makes us almost like family. Haha! 😁

[@TheNewGreenIsBlue]

The last few moments where you're speaking naturally about your kimono are so much nicer to listen to! i'd love to hear more of this less scripted Shogo.

[@kay266_x]

Finally…my misunderstanding of kamon is end😆…actually my favourite kamon is on plant categories…because they represent “lucky and peace full” things

[@TomKloseMusic]

The oda mokko is perfection in beauty, simplicity and recognizability.

[@Tennouseijin]

I'm creating a fictional nation that is heavily inspired by Sengoku-jidai and Edo-jidai Japan, so... figuring out some kamon both for the major clans, and possibly also for craftsmen, merchants, peasants... might be a challenge. They're not exactly equivalent to any historical clans, so I'll have to be a bit creative, but I guess I'll figure something out.

[@raisyrosye7656]

Good luck, Buddy!

[@ワルドのクレッタ]

World builder…? I’m trying to make a conlang for a nation that will be the base language for the world, which I think I might give a similar phonetic inventory to that of Japanese.

[@raisyrosye7656]

@@ワルドのクレッタ What’s a conlang?

[@ワルドのクレッタ]

@@raisyrosye7656 it’s a very long read, but basically it’s a fictional language used for world creation, an example is elvish in Tolkien’s works.

[@raisyrosye7656]

@@ワルドのクレッタ Oh, I see! For my worldbuilding, I keep things simple as I don't want to overwork myself!

[@LUIS-ox1bv]

The Kamon emblems reveals so much of what I admire about Japanese art. Its clean simplicity, yet stylized elegance.

[@haileybalmer9722]

I see. I live near a Japanese cemetery, and I visit there regularly (no one visits their grandparents here, someone has to go visit), and I noticed a while ago that gravestone after gravestone had the downward wisteria crest, exactly like the one on your kimono. I wondered why, and I asked some Japanese friends and friends who studied in Japan, but none of them knew. It seems like it's a very popular kamon, and particularly with the people who moved to the west coast of the United States.

[@kathygriffith5164]

My son-in-law is from Japan. I'll have to ask him what his families kamon is. You are so nice and your English is perfect. You speak English better than most people I know here in the state of Tennessee.

[@taz2906]

This video is so awesome; thank you Shogo-San for teaching us so much!

[@ExtraDipson]

Favorite kamon... I always thought the Azai clan crest with the 3 kikko was aesthetically pleasing. You're getting more and more popular, Shogo!

[@moontree029]

If I had to pick one, I'd have to go with the Tomoe. It has it's associations with Hachimon, war, archery, and was used by Musashi, as well as being similar in ways to the Celtic symbolism.

[@justaglance6388]

Thanks!

[@Dang3rMouSe]

I love the historical Japanese combination of organization & art. Of course there was also a social downside to the class system but I enjoy admiring the artistic symbology. I find the similarities between medieval Europe & historical Japan interesting too, such as in Europe families has shield crests & banners but it was most often used by nobility & other upper & influential families. Personally I would never use a koman I wasn't part of, seems disrespectful to me. But making your own unique owns could be fun. Very informative video, thx!

[@vanishingGolem]

your pride in your rich culture beams in each video you present to us. thanks.

[@pvtj0cker]

It's a slippery slope. Next thing you know people will start making clans and trying to become Shogun.

[@rinichul2450]

If you want to learn Japanesse history and culture. I found this is the best channel. Better than history book you learned at school

[@statesrights01]

My ancestors are from Scotland, one side of my family crest is the Scottish thistle. Would love to have a Kamon with that in mind. Love your channel! !

[@purpleicicles]

Same! Would love to see if there is an existing kamon featuring this noble flower!

[@mariarosales7676]

You are enchanting and deserve billions of likes. I enjoy watching you. Blessings !

[@chlorox01]

These are so cool! Its interesting that Japan has something like this as well. My family is from Europe where family crests were a thing in ye olden times. However, like the Kamon used to be used, they were only used for important families, royalty, or if a family member was knighted. There are a few crests associated with my family that have been passed down through the centuries, however they aren't ever used for anything anymore. I suspect that they might be more popular in older places in Europe but since my family is in the US, there is no use for them anymore :(

[@georgewright7252]

This was really disappointing for me when I went to visit Japan... Having learnt so much about Feudal Japanese history as a Westerner, I was traveling to Japan wide eyed and naive. When I found an unnamed resturant down a quiet side alley, you could understand my excitement when noticing a famous Sengoku Era family's crest, ornately displayed all over the resturant. No-one spoke much English but the food was amazing so I visited this restaurant many times. My mind would wander, are the owners of this restaurant descendants of this famous family? Did this rich family of old buy resturants, like other modern rich families like to do?? The people working there started to recognize me and on my final night visiting they gave me a small gift of this cruchy fried straw like food (it was yum!) and the owner came to talk with me. She spoke better English than everyone else, so I took my chance to ask her about the crest. Did she know who it belonged too or the relevance of it in Japanese history? You could imagine my huge disappointment when she said, "No, the government asked everyone (around or after WW2 perhaps, but I can't remember what time period she said exactly) all to pick a crest we liked, and we picked this one." Talk about crushing my wild dreams haha!! A big let down, I don't even think she knew what I was talking about, but maybe she was just being polite.

[@choo1030]

Interesting story

[@Gashinshoutan2009]

There are a lot of people who have traditionally passed down kamons with a complete family tree history. People who are interested of their roots in Japan research this from old records like the family tree research in Western countries.

[@Cookie20212]

Thanks

[@sesshoumarusama7397]

I hope there will soon be a Reiwa Restoration, so that I finally can visit Japan again :)

[@eggboy6926]

I'm so proud of myself for understanding this 😂

[@shinkunshinkun6156]

Takanoha-mon is my favorite kamon. Back in 1993 when I went for training in Miki city, Japan, I asked a friend to buy me a kimono ( a wedding kimono) since I didn't specify which kamon to use, she choses takanoha-mon for me. gosh it's almost 30 years, still loving it.

[@raisyrosye7656]

Aww, how cute!

[@ShinChara]

My actual family crest of English origin features a "lion rampant," among other elements. So, for the sake of having it actually mean something, that's probably the base I'll use, even if it's harder to work with.

[@He_who_rides_many_winds]

The English and Japanese are so similar. Scots are very similar to the Ainu people and I imagine somewhere in Western Japan or in Kyushu there are similarities to the Irish/Welsh.

[@He_who_rides_many_winds]

Oh and hello kinsman!

[@ShinChara]

@@He_who_rides_many_winds Greetings. I've never thought to look deeply into the Ainu, but I definitely see a historical similarity there. That'll go on my list of things to find out more about now.

[@He_who_rides_many_winds]

@@ShinChara No problem mate, do we English have a clan system or an equivalent to the Japanese one? Or perhaps we differ from our Celtic brethren in that we have a different system entirely?

[@ShinChara]

@@He_who_rides_many_winds I feel ethically bound to tell you that you should ask a librarian if you want to find an academically reliable answer to that question, and I'm no expert on this subject by any stretch. But based on what I know, there is a reasonably strong similarity between the Japanese, Scottish, and English systems of hereditary political authority. I'm sure there are significant differences too, but the same general pattern is there of kinship being traced through male lineage, sons inheriting authority over a particular area of land from their fathers, and powerful families bearing a surname to identify their kinship.

[@christiestratton8005]

A! Shogo-sensei! Arigato gozaimas! This is a beautiful video. This video is both educational and fun. I'm extremely interested in ancient artifacts such as Kamon. Learning that me and Kikyo are permitted to enjoy a Kamon, without being offensive to Nihon tradition, is happy and exciting news.

[@alcidesdossantosfreitas7903]

Hi Shogo & Kazu, what an extremely interesting video! I didn't know what a KAMON was. Shogo, what you do is truly enriching: your beautiful country is full of beauties that cannot be suspected and thanks to your Team, I learn so much and it makes me happy every time you upload a video ... With all my fraternal thanks. Um Abraço

[@KamonTB]

Hi there, my name is Kamon, my parents didn't know about Japanese Kamon when they named me, and we found out about them, in 2003. I loved to see the crests when I was in Japan 2016-2018.

[@pillarnexustheancientgladiator]

I remember finding a book at a local antique store with those crests and others, and I was amazed at the creativity. I wonder if I could turn my current picture into one, what would it symbolize?

[@He_who_rides_many_winds]

Sometimes history is so interesting and the world’s pool of knowledge so vast that one is aghast with where to start.

[@raisyrosye7656]

Right?! As a history lover, I know I’ll never fully grasp everything there is about just one single culture!

[@Woodeneyes]

Very enriching video Shogo. It got me wondering, would a foreign be "allowed" to create their own Kamon while in Japan (as visitors or expats)? Is there anyone that offers services to create a fully customized Kamon in their design, name and meaning?

[@douglaswilt5978]

Love your videos what I like most about your culture is the tradition and perfection of the work that people do❤😊

[@user-sm2he8gl5b]

I like the Ikeda's kamon. The butterfly pattern is cool.

[@sw0rdz]

You're making it hard to resist not vacating. Fortunately, I'm learning Japanese with the intent of over coming my fear of visiting a country that I don't speak the native language.

[@Whodey-AJ]

It's refreshing to see that there is video without the U.S. "cultural appropriation" bs. Somebody who is explaining their culture and encourageing everyone to join in and enjoy it.

[@thawhtet4852]

Shout out to the sign designer! All the clicks, swishes, and choices are so cool

[@emin86]

Is there a way to design your own? My family comes from hazel nut farming and would be cool to have a hazelnut design.

[@sebaschan-uwu]

Grab a pencil and some paper and get to it

[@purpleicicles]

With over 25,000 designs existing already, there may well be one featuring hazelnuts! I'm certainly going to be doing some research to see if my favourite flowers and animals are already represented!

[@Samantha_yyz]

This video just ended up in my recommendation feed, really glad it did! I barely knew anything about kamon before this. Just the association with the family, hadn't realized it goes all the way back to the Hein period! Def subscribing

[@naonigiri]

OMG i'm so hype for this video because my university graduation essay theme is about kamon! Most of this are on my essay 😂 I wish i know about how we can choose our kamon though. I want to put it on my essay but the source too vague and my lecturer denied it, maybe if the source is your video, she will accept it😆 all in all thank you so much for this video! My favourite kamon is Toyotomi's Pawlonia kamon because the leaf is so beautifully drawn 😆

[@samarramasengi8357]

oh my this video is so detailed and educational!! thank you for putting in so much effort into this video

[@dragreus1118]

Would you think of an non-Japanese iaido practitioner as rude for wearing a Kimono with a Kamon? I would love to have a Kamon based on the wolf (a family symbol of mine) but I don't wish to offend anyone in having such.

[@jamestaylor9258]

We wear Gi and Hakama with no issue.

[@LotBD]

I learned something new about kamon this morning. Thank you for a well done video. I have always admired how balanced many kamon look and I tend to like them more than European heraldry

[@purpleicicles]

Thank you for the activity recommendation! I'm planning our Japan trip right now, so activity recommendations are GOLD 👍

[@kellywhite9299]

A little confusion... Clovers _(genus Trifoliumm)_ have oval/round leaves, whereas Wood Sorrel _(genus Oxalis)_ has the heart shaped leaves. Perhaps the kamon depicts wood sorrel rather than clover?

[@chekitatheanimatedskeptic6314]

Those pattern ones are the best for me, so cool. Thanks for the lesson!

[@masamiyaleco]

My male ancestry can be traced back to the Genji clan of the Heian period (and of course to Izanagi-no-mikoto and Amano-minaka-nushi ^^), but for some reason the Taira (Heike) clan's Agehachou has been used since the early Edo period. This may be because they served Nobunaga Oda, who regards himself as Taira clan (Heike).

[@raisyrosye7656]

Wow, I wish I could trace back my family lineage that far!

[@MidnightRoseThorns]

Omg!!! Thank you for finding this Crest known as kuginuki mon! My family had this Crest! Now I can look up more about it! Thank you again!!! XD

[@AymuM]

Nahh fam, I don't want anyone else's Kamon, I want my OWN kamon. Something I made.

[@Minastir1]

It's cool to see that the family crests are not limited to Europe. I guess people all around the globe found it useful to come up with them.

[@quixotika3232]

This kinda makes me wanna create my own kamon for my family even tho we aren't Japanese😆

[@sohrabroozbahani4700]

It's very interesting to watch all the body language from the Japanese speaking present in a lecture given in English, it something only a Japanese person could accomplish in all the peoper and natural details of it, your lectures are so amazing sensei, thank you for the hard work...

[@temporalinsanity]

Interesting. My family's kamon is one of the more commonly used ones. I kinda knew it, but it's good to have seen someone study them. Idk if it's common but I have a large gold plated one that my grandpa's family brought from Japan.

[@doublelunch24]

Kiri-mon club unite! Had no idea our family had an official kamon until just last year (lots of ink stamps/seals). Thanks for the info, Shogo-san!

[@tamayoru]

Actually i take the dare, some years back, of design my own kamon as a logo for the traditional japonese dance group that i direct here. I make the investigation, do the sketch in Powerpoint and finally get a company to make it more professional and traditional. I would love to show it to you both and hear your thoughts about it. 🙇🏽‍♀️ Really interesting video as always, and my greetings to Tomoko San and family.

[@AngryMarine-il6ej]

For those who are unaware, Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi and Tokugawa Ieyasu are known as the 'Three Great Unifiers of Japan'.

[@bdon5813]

I have always been a fan of the Takeda kamon, partly because of Takeda Shingen and I just like that design.

[@happymantis2860]

I find it interesting that most of the kamon are based on small, humble plants and animals like butterflies and clover. I don’t know exactly why this is, but I think it highlights the beauty of little things so beautifully!

[@VoidedEmptiness]

I think I am just going to stick to my family's Kamon which fall under the sixth category, the pattern style crests. Though in the future I hope to design my own kamon that incorporates my family's kamon and the kamon of clans that are related to me by their branching off from the Ōe clan, just as my family's clan did.

[@raisyrosye7656]

Wow, you've got such a fascinating history!

[@kizzykiz]

When my brother was born, my grandpa was so excited for his first (and only) grandson, that he ordered a custom made samurai armor with our kamon on it.

[@purpleicicles]

Child-sized?

[@Marc-.]

9:26 this is kind weird to me as a Chinese, it’s like using a US dollar bill as ur family crest.

[@raisyrosye7656]

😂✋

[@worldsdominator]

I made an essay regarding Kamon from a design perspective during uni, I'm specifically amazed by how it was designed in modern days with modern tools by the Monsho Uwaeshi, how they preserved Kamon by turning it into beautiful modern art pieces. I believe in modern Japan, a lot of huge corporations used Kamon as their branding as some originated from a family business, Japanese lawyers, firefighters, and police badges may also have been inspired by Kamon.