Mon (crest) in the context of Toyotomi clan

⭐ Core Definition: Mon (crest)

Mon (紋, [mõ̞ꜜɴ]), also called monshō (紋章), mondokoro (紋所), and kamon (家紋), are Japanese emblems used to decorate and identify an individual, a family, or (more recently) an institution, municipality or business entity. While mon is an encompassing term that may refer to any such device, kamon and mondokoro refer specifically to emblems that are used to identify a family. An authoritative mon reference compiles Japan's 241 general categories of mon based on structural resemblance (a single mon may belong to multiple categories), with 5,116 distinct individual mon.

It is well acknowledged that there are a number of lost or obscure mon. Among mon, the mon officially used by the family is called jōmon (定紋). Over time, new mon have been created, such as kaemon (替紋), which is unofficially created by an individual, and onnamon (女紋), which is created by a woman after marriage by modifying part of her original family's mon, so that by 2023 there will be a total of 20,000 to 25,000 mon.

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⭐ Core Definition: Mon (crest)
Mon (crest) in the context of Gosanke
Mon (crest) in the context of Government crest of Japan

Mon (crest) in the context of Gosanke

The Tokugawa Go-san-ke (徳川御三家, "the Three Houses of the Tokugawa"), also called simply Go-san-ke (御三家, "the Noble Three Houses"), or even San-ke (三家, "the three houses"), were the most noble three branches of the Tokugawa clan of Japan: Owari, Kii, and Mito, all of which were descended from clan founder Tokugawa Ieyasu's three youngest sons, Yoshinao, Yorinobu, and Yorifusa, and were allowed to provide a shōgun in case of need. In the Edo period the term gosanke could also refer to various other combinations of Tokugawa houses, including (1) the shogunal, Owari and Kii houses and (2) the Owari, Kii, and Suruga houses (all with the court position of dainagon).

Later, Gosanke were deprived of their role to provide a shōgun by three other branches that are closer to the shogunal house: the Gosankyō.

View the full Wikipedia page for Gosanke

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Mon (crest) in the context of Government crest of Japan

The 5–7 Paulownia (五七桐, Go-shichi (no) Kiri) is the mon (crest or emblem) used by the prime minister of Japan, the Cabinet, and parts of the executive branch of the Government, and is one of the national emblems of Japan. It resembles a stylized paulownia with 5–7–5 flowers, and is one of various paulownia mon, collectively known as the paulownia crests (桐紋, kirimon) or the paulownia flower crests (桐花紋, tōkamon).

View the full Wikipedia page for Government crest of Japan

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