The Japanese Mon – An Eastern Equivalent to the European Coats of Arms? (I): Form, Content, Tincture and Blazon

Cherry blossom, (sakura) with serrated leaves. Image taken from Ströhl, Japanisches Wappenbuch, fig. 166. In a previous blog post, I have established that there are several similarities between the Japanese mon and the coats of arms of Europe. But before aspects and perspectives of cultural history can be taken into account, this post aims to focus on the fundamentals, i.e. the mon itself, the images it displays and its blazon. The Japanese mon has a special structure, displaying its content ..