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View Full Version : Heraldry in Japan (mon, coats of arms, badges and ensigns armorial)



Kendoguy9
11th April 2002, 07:35
Good day everyone,

I hope some of the people out there in the cyber dojo might be able to help me out. I have very recently began researching coats of arms in the Western tradition. I learned that there is much more to them then the stands in the mall offering "Family Coat of Arms" makes known. In Western tradition the arms belong to one person and one person only, it is descended through the male heir (or female heir if no male heir is present) and anyone else of the same family has to apply for a new grant that is suitably differenced from the original owner's. Badges, however, are emblems that do not appear on shields and are given by the armiger to those close or loyal to him who do not bear arms themselves.

This raised the question in my mind; how do/did Japanese mon work and how is/was the system regulated? It seems that the mon functions as both the coat of arms proper and the badge in Western heraldry. That is to say, a lord may use one mon and those loyal to him use the same, undifferenced. Is this correct? Did one person have several different mon for different purpose? At www.Kamon.com they have several "Takeda" mon each slightly different. The next question I have is how are mon used today? Is there any regulating body such as the Lord Lyon of Scotland or South African Bureau of Heraldry, in Japan today that registers and protect mon? Are mon trade marked like any other image or icon to keep it in the family? Are there any written or unwritten rules about wearing mon? I would assume it would be very poor taste to wear say a kimono with Takeda mon, and haori with Tokugawa mon, and an inro with another mon etc. But does one have to be part of the family associated with the mon to use it? Are there any rules for designing new mon (or is the idea of new mon even a consideration)? Anyone out there that has any idea, any help you can offer would be great!

fifthchamber
13th April 2002, 14:42
Hello sir.
I am not an expert on the use of Heraldry in Japan but I will tell you what I know on the subject and try to help you out a little..(By the way Stephen Turnbull has recently written a book on Mon and the usage of Mon..Check Amazon.com)
A mon was an insignia passed down through a family as a device of recognition mainly...The use of Mon is first described in the Heike Monogatari but it is a small feature at that time. The episode involves the Emperors recognition of an assisting armies arrival in Kyoto by the fact that he recognises different insignia on the Vanguard riders of the Yoritomo force (The vanquished were also Minamoto..Kiso no Yoshinaka's forces). This shows that a common use for the Mon was as an easily indentified patch for a section of ones army.
Individual family mon are passed down with a slight variation among the various households in the family unit...Thus the Takeda mon and the variations on the theme of it being used by Shingen, his brothers, his son etc..There was often a very close similarity between the central family design and that of the offshoots of the house. The Takeda used a variety of Mon for themselves (Actual Takeda family members) and for their 'Karo' or 'Elders' (and retainers) which were used in battle for clear indentification of friendly forces...An example here is the 'Centipede' device carried by the Takeda messengers between the various commanders of the forces.
Mon and their use today are very important elements of distinction of a family member and an obvious sign of 'pedigree'...That is that ownership of a Mon usually signifies ones lineage and group. Most often this leads back to a Samurai family and the owners of the Mon are identified with that house..However there are instances where Samurai Mon have been used by a peasant family who lived in that houses domain and the Mon has been adapted for use by this (unrelated) group.
Mon are NOT however the sole property of the Buke (Samurai houses)...They were passed down in both Merchant and farming communities usually by location or family ownerships..The more 'famous' types of Mon were from esteemed members of the Samurai houses and examples of much used Mon would be the Toyotomi emblem, the Minamoto design, or the Takeda designs.
There was greater regulation of Mon during the Tokugawa period than at present as the right to own a Mon showed the public EXACTLY who you were and what levels of 'deference' to use in speech/attitude etc.. For example, The Tokugawa Hollyhock crest was considered by the public to represent 'the Shogun' himself...Orders carried out under this banner were direct orders from the highest authority at the time and were duly respected..This extended to close members of the Tokugawa house or line. Any discourtesy paid to the wearer of that Mon was seen as an insult to the Shogun himself and punishment was often severely enforced.
It would be in poor taste to wear more than one (Personal) Mon on items carried as the idea of Mon was that of 'solidarity' with the lord whose Mon was worn..One did NOT have to be a family member but was more than likely to be a retainer/servant/family member of that house or someone on intimate terms with the Mon's family owners.
Westerners would possibly be forgiven for any errors when inventing new designs for Mon but as a rule I would not try to do so. It is common to use the Mon associated with your Sensei's family or the Ryu's family design that you belong to (For example the Tachibana crest used in the Kage Ryu) when the need arises...But it would be rare to see a non Japanese using Mon on clothing etc unless you WERE closely associated to that family..
I think thats about all I know...Turnbulls book would be a far more detailed description and try the bookshop at www.bugei.com as I know they carry some Japanese books on family Mon..
HTH...
Abayo..:wave:

Don Cunningham
13th April 2002, 16:19
I don't know if this helps, but there is an interesting aspect of mon and their use on clothing. During the Edo Period, it was not unusual for those better off to give used clothing to those who worked for them or as a reward for providing some service. The doshin, low-level samurai who patrolled as a sort of police, often received gifts from the various lords who had residences or retainers within the respective jurisdiction. These gifts often included discarded clothing complete with mon.

There is a reference about how doshin needed to be careful when calling on the various daimyo or senior retainers as part of their business. It would be extremely unpolite to call on the senior retainer while not wearing the mon of that clan if they had given a hoari, for example, displaying their mon. Wearing the mon of another clan would also be insensitive, especially if there is any rivalry between the two clans.

The point is that it was apparently acceptable for those with no specific ties to a clan to display their mon if it were received as a gift or payment.

David T Anderson
13th April 2002, 20:20
I find it interesting that you see a lot of formal haori and montsuki for sale on Ebay...evidently clothing can be cast off and sold without much regard for where the mon ends up.

Are people expected to remove the mon before wearing the garment?

I had a notion a while ago that I would create a traditional-looking mon to put on my own gear, but my Sensei was very negative in his reaction to the idea. After some study, I decided that it would be an inappropriate affectation...rather like a Japanese person creating his own coat of arms because he liked the effect. Of course that analogy is not a very good one, because coats-of-arms still have a degree of legal standing in the West, but still....

Don Cunningham
14th April 2002, 06:00
You should check out John Ray's mon. He's an iaido teacher in Denton, Texas. His mon, prominently displayed on his haori, is his Scottish clan symbol. I wouldn't be too worried about creating your own Japanese design mon.