Family crests (mon) have been a Japanese tradition since the eleventh century, when they decorated the costumes and carriages of courtiers. Later, they were used to identify warriors on the battlefield, as heraldic decorations on formal costumes, and as ornament on the kimonos of the common people. Small, compact, and graceful, with a strong sense of style, crest designs are ideal for spot illustrations, as logos, or for any graphic purpose requiring the classic simplicity, purity, and strength of Japanese design. This volume presents a total of 540 permission-free motifs, carefully selected for graphic impact and usefulness from several thousand crests known to exist. Featured are a wide variety of stylized designs depicting plants, animals, natural phenomena, geometric shapes, and manufactured objects.Among the subjects included in this selection are such traditional Japanese motifs as bamboo, crane, lightning, cherry blossom, peony, plum blossom, wave, rice, circle, and hollyhock. Immensely useful, this volume of permission-free designs is not only an invaluable source of graphic material for artists, designers, and craftspeople, but a fascinating picture book of Japanese culture.

Over 1,700 compact, graceful designs — a traditional part of many Japanese family histories — are featured in this handsome, versatile collection. Depicting plant, leaf, animal, and fan designs in circular motifs; astronomical images, and more, the authentic, royalty-free crests are ideal for use as spot illustrations in a variety of graphic projects.

Definitive catalogue of Japanese heraldic crests featuring almost unlimited variety of plant, animal, bird, and geometric forms, from "wild goose" to "folding fan" to "mountain and mist," each with dozens of variations. 4,260 illustrations.

The Elements of Japanese Design is a library of traditional Japanese design motifs in the form of more than 2,700 family crests ( mon) compiled and drawn by a Kyoto publisher and bookseller early in the twentieth century, and selected and interpreted by John Dower, a leading American scholar of Japan. First used for identification on the battlefield beginning in the twelfth century, mon developed into symbols of family pride and fortune and quintessential expressions of the Japanese design sensibility--especially in their economy of means, exquisite detailing, and boldness of composition. The motifs employed in these family crests are also a fascinating window into the symbolic system of traditional Japan, which drew from a rich palette of natural phenomena, plants, animals, abstract devices, and manmade objects. This book will be a source of pleasure and inspiration to anyone interested in the basic elements of Japanese design, and of valuable information to anyone wishing to know more about the remarkable culture that produced it.

Find the beauty and meaning of over 850 family crests found in Japanese tradition

Drawn from traditional Japanese family crests, this collection presents 1,160 exotic black-and-white patterns, symbols, and decorative devices. They span a tremendous variety of styles, from utter simplicity to florid majesty.

Understand Japanese family crest designs with actual examples! A gorgeously visual guide to family crests. Family crests are coats of arms that have been used in Japan since ancient times to identify families and individuals. Today, it is said that there are currently around 200 basic types of family crest, and around 5,000 different designs that use the same motifs. Family crests exert influence in contemporary culture not only because of their historical and cultural value, but also because they appear in famous manga and anime, and their motifs are often chosen for tattoos, among other things. In this book, we have selected more than 2,500 family crests and explain their designs and meanings. The crests are organized around the motifs of "plants," "animals," "natural phenomena," "martial values," "patterns and designs," and "buildings and vessels." In addition, this book is gorgeously illustrated with plenty of photographs and illustrated examples of motifs that make up family crests, along with dyeing works, handicrafts, and contemporary designs created in the image of family crests. This beautiful book can be used as a reference book for designs, tattoo motifs, illustration and more.