Mon (紋) is a Japanese term referring to an emblem that idenitifies a clan, family, individual and even an occupation or rank. Mon were especially useful in an iliterate society. Peasants could see the crest and easily indentify the family without having to inquire any further. Mon were also used on military equipement to distinguish between friend and foe.

The royal family uses a chrysanthemum flower as their family crest. To further clarify the position of the royal wearing the crest, different members of the family wore slightly different versions of the chrysanthemum crest. For example, the Emperor of the Japan has 16 petals on his crest, while the other members of the royal family have 14 petals.

The symbol used by the Tokugawa Clan (徳川氏,) was a circle around three hollyhock leaves. Hollyhocks are plants that easily grow in Japan. They need very little water and are hard to uproot. Like the hollyhocks, the Tokugawa Clan was strong. In many cases, the Tokugawa Clan was able to wield more power than the emperor himself.

You may have seen this next mon without even realizing it. Mon can also represent companies and businesses. Mitsubishi (三菱グループ) is a Japanese corporation known for its automobiles and other technological goods. The name Mitsubishi means “three water chestnuts” and consequently its logo contains three water chestnuts.

Mon represented not just clans, but territories as well. The Ryūkyū Kingdom, which is now present day Okinawa, used three comma-like symbols in a circle. In the 14^th century, there were three main territories in the Ryūkyū Kingdom. Each of the swirly comma-like symbols represent the three major territories in the kingdom.

Many of the mon are geometrical in shape, or have some sort of flower design. The Taira Clan’s (平氏,) mon is slightly different in that it’s an animal and it’s less geometric and angular as the other mon. The Taira Clan’s symbol is a butterfly called agehachō (揚羽蝶). There are both bad and good superstitions about butterflies in Japanese society. Therefore the Taira Clan may have used the butterfly for luck.