'Welcome to the Family'

Kamon fan Beanie

The five forms of symbolism in Japanese family crests.

With over 3000 family crests, 'Kamon' were used in feudal periods of Japan's rich history, however, some Kamon can still be seen in Japan today. We at Wolfchamber have incorporated this iconic piece of tradition into our range of beanies. Out of the many Kamon, we have chosen the Ogi ni hinomaru／扇に日の丸- for the following reason. This memorial crest has the aesthetics, historical prestige and simplistic design that epitomises our brand.

The following text is taken from:

Japanese Family Crests

Written by

YUZURU OKADA

Published by

BOARD OF TOURIST INDUSTRY,

JAPANESE GOVERNMENT RAILWAYS

Memorial Reasons

Some crests are reminders of historical events, military or otherwise, of early ancestors of the family. These may be called memorial crests. One famous crest of this type may be found in the ogi-ni-hinomaru or “fan with the sun's disk on it,” worn by the descendants of Nasu-no-Yoiti, a hero in the war between the Minamoto (or Genzi) and Taira (or Heike) clans at the end of the 12th century. It was during the historically famous battle fought between the forces of the two rival clans in the Inland Sea near Yasima, that a boat from Ogi-ni-hinomaru (Fan with the sun's disk) the Heike fleet slowly drew near the massed Genzi forces during a lull. A fan with the red sun upon it fixed to the top of a pole stood at the bow of the boat, young court lady in the waist of the boat was pointing to the fan, giving a silent challenge to the Genzi warriors to shoot it down. A famous archer called Nasu- no-Yoiti finally accepted the challenge by order of the Genzi general, Yositune. Riding into the sea, he took careful aim of the tiny fan which was rocking up and down a long distance. He prayed for a moment of calm and then let fly his arrow, which hit the target right in the pivot, tearing off the fan high up in the air. The stupendous feat was applauded by friend and foe alike. In commemoration of this military exploit his descendants used a fan with the sun's disk on it as their family crest.