Tokugawa Pass

Description of Tokugawa Pass

Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543 – 1616) was the founder and first shōgun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan. The Tokugawa shogunate of Japan ruled the country starting from the Battle of Sekigahara in 1600 until the Meiji Restoration in 1868. This was the last feudal military government in Japan. Each head of the government was referred to as shogun, and was part of the Tokugawa clan.Tokugawa Ieyasu was one of the three unifiers of Japan. The members of the Tokugawa clan were fierce warriors and participated in many key battles. Tokugawa Ieyasu, in particular, was known for his participation and military skills. The Tokugawa clan, in particular, Tokugawa Ieyasu also found themselves in conflict against the Takeda clan. Their main aim was to rule Japan, and they did not focus too much on outside conquests, but rather on consolidating their power within the country and gaining territory.

Style Variations

Bold – Light – Outlined – Colorable
Each variation is included in the symbol’s file package.

Japan main description

Japanese Symbols

The Japanese family crests or Mons have a similar role as the English family crests. The Japanese family crest symbols, or Mons are a coat of arms used to represent families and individuals, and more recently, businesses and institutions. There is little known about the origin of these crests and the Japanese family crest symbols, but it is commonly believed that the tradition started as a fabric pattern to identify aristocratic families and individuals. It eventually evolved to being used in battles, and then became a common way of identification, even for commoners. In terms of design, there were no hard and fast rules. There seemed to be a general consensus to use a roundel that would encircle some sort of figure when designing Japanese family crest symbols. This could be a plant, a man-made shape, a natural or celestial figure as one part of it. Other mon used religious symbols, kanji, and other shapes in their design as well. The mon was also designed to be monochromatic, and colors were generally eschewed. For commoners, however, the use of the mon, or the Japanese family crest symbol was tricky. If they had none, they would either adapt the mon of their patron or organization, or failing that, used what would be considered inappropriate mons, or developed their own altogether. The usage and choice of mons came with their own rules and were largely dictated by social customs - and its usage was monitored and enforced. For example, it was considered inappropriate to use a mon or Japanese family crest symbol already in use by someone else, and especially offensive if held by someone of a higher rank. If a situation such as that occurred, the lower-ranking person would have to change their mon or Japanese family crest symbol in order to avoid any offense or wrongdoing. Mons held by the ruling Japanese clans were legally protected and could not be used by others.