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Family Crests: Centuries
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Originally, "mon" or family crests were used in Japan in much the same way that nobles in Europe used heraldic devices. Imperial court families have been recorded using "mon" in the 8th century, but the practice was not very widespread or rigorous. With the rise of the samurai class, there was a greater need for identification of friend and foe and "mon" proved popular and easy forms of identification. The wars of the centuries prior to the peace of the Edo period spread the popularity of crests throughout the samurai class and ... saw the nobility adopt the custom.
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The Family Crest or "Ka-Mon" has a history dating back to the 12th century. The crests were of symbolized designs representing flora, plants and animals. The crests belonged to the male of the family and identified its members. The crests played an important role in battle as they were was used to distinguish allies and enemies.
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Family crests became highly developed and popular during the Warring States and Edo periods, but can be found mentioned as far back as the Nara period (710-794) in the imperial court. Early crests were often simple: the 12th century wars between the Minamoto and the Taira families took place under simple red and white banners (friendly competitions in schools or on television are still conducted under these colors).
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The concept of the Family Crest in Japan is still alive today, although its identified history goes far back to the beginning of the 12th century. Generally, the Family Crest in Japan is called KA-MON, KA means "family with own genealogical trees" and MON means "crest" or "emblem".
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IrishSurnames.com is here to help you find your family crest. You should be aware that there may be more than one family crest for the same name. For example, the Irish name O'Connor has dozens. Many non-Gaelic names were brought into the country especially during the seventeenth century. At that time it was very much a disadvantage to have a Gaelic or Irish-sounding name so many of the native names were 'anglicized' into a similar sounding Anglo or Scottish name. For example, the O'Griobhtha Sept of County Clare adopted the Welsh name Griffin.
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