The Elements of Japanese Design: A Handbook of Family Crests, Heraldry & Symbolism

by John W. Dower, Kiyoshi Kawamoto (Illustrator)

The Elements of Japanese Design is a library of traditional Japanese design motifs in the form of more than 2,700 family crests ( mon ) compiled and drawn by a Kyoto publisher and bookseller early in the twentieth century, and selected and interpreted by John Dower, a leading American scholar of Japan.

First used for identification on the battlefield beginning in the twelfth century, mon developed into symbols of family pride and fortune and quintessential expressions of the Japanese design sensibility—especially in their economy of means, exquisite detailing, and boldness of composition. The motifs employed in these family crests are also a fascinating window into the symbolic system of traditional Japan, which drew from a rich palette of natural phenomena, plants, animals, abstract devices, and manmade objects.

This book will be a source of pleasure and inspiration to anyone interested in the basic elements of Japanese design, and of valuable information to anyone wishing to know more about the remarkable culture that produced it.

Genres: Art, Design, Japan, Nonfiction

170 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1971

About the author

John W. Dower is the author of Embracing Defeat, winner of the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize; War without Mercy, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award; and Cultures of War. He is professor emeritus of history at MIT. In addition to authoring many books and articles about Japan and the United States in war and peace, he is a founder and codirector of the online “Visualizing Cultures” project established at MIT in 2002 and dedicated to the presentation of image-driven scholarship on East Asia in the modern world. He lives in Boston, Massachusetts.

Reviews

[Melo Mapo · Rating 4 out of 5]

The perfect reference book for the Japanese heraldry nerd who does not speak Japanese. Just wish there was a table that showed the basic patterns and their name, so that searching for the name and significance of a more complex variation on that pattern was easier.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is an excellent book! rereading and studying this one a little longer, and then I will create a more in-depth review. John Dower is CLEARLY a leading expert on Japan. at least, he is now my new favorite because of the clarity and detail in his writing.

[Kerry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've always had a bit of an interest in heraldry and when I stumbled across this one doing research for anime con I had to take a look. It's pretty cool and some of the designs are amazing.