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Saturday 17 August 2013

An Insight Into Asian Family Symbolism

By Takamitsu Hairi


Family system has not yet been thrown away by the Japanese people and same is the case of the family symbols also. 'Ka-mon', the Japanese expression for family symbols was derived from 'Ka' and 'mon' which mean family with its own ancestral tree and emblem respectively. History of Ka-mon traces back to 1200 AD.

The Europeans also had the convention of using family symbols at that time, which was called 'Coat of Arms' . This similitude has been a stimulant for a lot of comparative studies between these two symbols.

Anyway, it is a truth that some general statements may not be enough to interpret the Japanese family symbols because of their varied and distinctive expressions.

There are no certain rules for the construction of Japanese family symbols. Usually mon is found as a disc-shaped symbol encircling any figure of plants, animals, artificial objects and mythical or real figures.

Kanji script, which is an inevitable part of Japanese art forms, can be seen in the family symbols also. Religious and geometrical figures also are used to create these symbols. Normally these scripts and figures would be put in an abstracted form.

Even though there are no set rules when it comes to the designing of the mon it gets its name from the contents that are illustrated in its design. The name of the mon does not really reflect its depiction rather it only seeks to explain it. The blazon in the mon is not in perspective and this makes it quite different from the European crest. The designs that are illustrated on the mon come into their formalized fashion as they get the label of tradition through the passage of time.

There is not a certain rule for the colour selection also. However, they are generally found in monochrome. The usage of family symbols are unaccustomed in Japan nowadays. Although there are some families that stick to use them, several families will find it difficult to identify their mon because it has been marked as an ancient practice.

In case any family requires to find their mon, there are several ways to find it. The temple records keep the details of the ancestral home towns of people and these records can help when need arises.

Many of the packed food items that are imported from Japan are marked with mon. You can obtain a mon simply from the market or a craft shop to be used for your roof tiles and interior decorations.




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