Cool summer

Japanese summer is so moist.We need cool one to live.I think '浴衣'(yukata) design should  use kamon pattern like this.

Asagao is summer popular flower.And blue and purple gives cool impression.

Base mon is that.

Butterfly pattern

'揚羽'(ageha) pattern is popular too.

It's used '平家'(heike) family.Very traditional pattern.

Let's see other arrangements.This is armed.That means '鎧'(armor).

Mixed with flower.'撫子'(nadesiko).

'南天'(nan-ten) is mixed.

Mixed with Chinese flower design pattern '唐花'(kara-hana).

I don't know what is mixed.Maybe crab.It seems 折り紙(ori-gami). It looks like '兜'(kabuto),Japanese samurai helm.

Seimei's mon

'桔梗'(ki-kyo) is popular kamon.

Because famous Japanese family had Kikyo style mon.

• 明智光秀(Mitsuhide Akechi)
• 加藤清正(Kiyomasa Kato)
• 安倍晴明(Abeno Seimei)

Oh,It's shot.

Added pentagon.

This is 晴明's mon. So abstracted,I can't see this Kikyo style (^^).

Golden butterfly

Before.

After.

I hope to find it in real world.

The old bushi's symbol

 '竜胆'(rindo) was taken as symbol of 源氏(genji) that is Japanese very old Bushi group. Their kamon is also rindo.

This is '笹竜胆紋'(sasa-rindo-mon).sasa is bamboo leaf.It's mixed rindo and sasa.Genji Bushi's symbol mark.

Added Circle '丸ニ竜胆紋'(maru-ni-rindo-mon).

This is omitted bamboo leafs.'二葉竜胆紋'(huta-ba-rindo-mon).At first,we can not recognize this is a kind of rindo model.

'竜胆車紋'(rindo-guruma-mon) is rindo wheel !! It's powerful than original rindo-mon.

'葉隠竜胆紋'(yo-in-rindo-guruma) is one of rindo-guruma.This is a one of design method.Base model is inversed.I don't know historical reason.But I think there were some reasons why the bushi used this mon or had to use.

This is interesting.Rindo and butterfly is united. '竜胆花蝶紋'(rindo-ka-cho-mon).Cool design.

Morning glory

'朝顔'(Morning glory) is one of summer flower.
When I was primary school student, I had to rear morning glories on my summer holiday as home work. I hated it.

This flower blooms every morning !! and wilt every noon.

Let's see some kamon of morning glories.
It's quite simple,'朝顔紋'(asagao-mon). Can you imagine real flower ?

 Five morning glory are united.It's called '五ツ朝顔紋'(itu-asagao-mon).

'糸輪に六ツ朝顔紋'(itowa-ni-mutu-asagao-mon). The circle(itowa) adds tight impression. It looks like button.











 That's my favorite of four. '竹丸ニ朝顔紋'(take-maru-ni-asagao-mon). It seems view of summer !! we can remember something summer memory.

What is Kamon ?

'家紋'(kamon) is Japanese family crest. 
Kamon represents family's symbol.There are so many kamon types.It's said over 20,000 types are discoverd.And it started about 1,200 years ago,called Heian era.

Kamon's purpose looks like Coat of arms.There were no system to identify people such as ID card,driver license,biometrics autheticate ,etc... So old people used kamon to identify people.Kamon was drawn every where. For example,on clothes,on gate,on flag,on gravestone.

Kamon has so simple design.In comparison with Coat of arms,kamon is just black color,monotone touch. It has omitted,abstract design.It's set secret message.

You may see 'LOUIS VITTON' monograph at their product.That symbol is said to get inspired from Kamon design patterns.

We can imagine very deep world via kamon.Maybe It's  like time travel.