What’s In a Kamon? Part 2
Last week’s introduction got some very positive reviews, so today I’ll try to provide a better basis by showing the three most used kamon across all hanamachi: the ivy, the bell flower, and the paulownia.
Ivy - 蔦 (Tsuta)
Used by: Nakagishi (中支志 ) and Masuume (枡梅) in Gion Kobu, Tanmika (丹美賀) in Pontocho, Nakasato (中里) in Kamishichiken, Kikumasa (貴久政) and Yoshifumi (よし冨美) in Miyagawa Cho, and Sakaemasa (栄政) in Gion Higashi.
Picture of three point ivy belongs to the Wikimedia Commons.
While not used by a large amount of okiya, the ivy can count itself as a member of a very unique class: it is only one of two kamon that can be found in all five districts (the other is paulownia, which you can find more about below). Ivy is a resilient vine and, like the wisteria, can grow to over 100 feet tall and wide. However, it will not destroy the foundation of houses, so it’s a gentle plant and is usually evergreen. It can range in color from bright, fresh green to redish purple, making it a showy plant that can easily become a focal piece in any garden. The ivy is prized in Japan as being able to grow in any situation from small containers to sprawling gardens and is easily controlled to grow as tall or small as its owner wishes. It is a plant that is easy to please and pleases easily.
Bell Flower - 桔梗 (Kikyō)
Used By: Arai (新井), Tsurui (つる居), Iwasaki (岩崎), Fuminoya (文の家), Shibata (柴田), and Four Unknowns in Gion Kobu, Yamaguchi (やまぐち), Daiichi (大市), and Momiha (もみ葉) in Pontocho, Shigemori (しげ森), Ishihatsu (石初), Horiyae (堀八重), Hanafusa (花ふさ), and Kawahisa (川久) in Miyagawa Cho, Tomikiku (富菊), Kanoya (叶家), and Man (まん) in Gion Higashi.
Picture of ten petal bell flower belongs to myself.
The symbol for the month of September, the bell flower is considered a sign of transition; its blooming heralds the cooler temperatures of fall, even though most will begin to bloom by August. The bell flower is one of seven flowers known as the “friends of autumn” as their arrival heralds the beginning of fall (which always confused me since they all bloom long before the warm temperatures are even gone and fall hasn’t even arrived yet.) Bell flowers as we know them are typically not found in the wild, but have been cultivated for centuries for their profusion of blooms that will last until the frost. The bell flower specifically used in the karyukai and as a popular summer symbol in Japan is actually the Chinese bell flower (Platycodon grandiflorus), not to be confused with the American bell flower or the Korean bonnet bell flower (which are of the genus Campanulaceae). The flowers bloom beginning on the tops of long stalks that shoot out from a bush of thin green leaves. Newer cultivated varieties will have blossoms all the way down the blooming stalk, allowing for up to twenty flowers to bloom from a single shoot! Like the wisteria, the bell flower is only available in three colors: blue (purple), pink, and white and maiko will wear a mix of these colors in their hair for the month of September.
Paulownia - 桐 (Kiri)
Used by: Tama (多磨) and two Unknowns in Gion Kobu, Tanmika (丹美賀), Hatsunoya (初乃屋), Masunoya (桝之矢), and an Unknown in Pontocho, Umeno (梅乃) in Kamishichiken, Kaden (花傳), Kawayoshi (河よ志), Harutomi (春富), Honjo (本城), Takayoshi (高よし), Komaya (駒家), and Takemoto (たけもと) in Miyagawa Cho, Okatome (岡とめ) and Shigenoya (繁の家) in Gion Higashi.
Picture of paulownia belongs to the Wikimedia Commons.
The most common kamon in the karyukai and only one of two that can be found in all five districts (the other is the ivy, which happens to look very similar and can be found above), the paulownia has long been revered as a sacred tree in Japan. Legends say that a phoenix will come down from the heavens and land in a paulownia tree upon the birth of a great emperor (some versions of this story state that it occurs upon the beginning of an emperor’s reign, so I thought I’d throw that in there for clarification). Paulownia are flowering trees that produce small, bell flower-like blooms on thin stems that shoot out from the mass of leaves to attract pollinators such as.humming birds and flying insects. They tend to be found in warmer climates or ones with short winter periods, so it’s possible that you may not be able to find paulownia where you live. The wood of the paulownia is widely used in Japan as it is an incredibly durable yet surprisingly light weight wood. Most geta (wooden sandals) are made from paulownia, including those worn by maiko. If a person does not have a kamon registered with their family name or are renting a kimono, the vast majority (around 95%) of formal kimono will carry the paulownia crest due to its symbolic nature of announcing good things to come.
