What is the history and meaning of the symbol #23 (丸に七曜) in this image from shop.japan.co?
-
Hi Masumi and welcome to History SE. Where did you find this image? Can you provide a link?– Lars BosteenCommented Mar 30, 2019 at 6:16
-
Hi Lars, here is the link I found the image on. shop-japan.co.jp/english-boku/image-e/kamon.gif– MasumiCommented Mar 30, 2019 at 7:16
Add a comment
|
1 Answer
[Note: this became an answer because it was far too long to post as comments. It doesn't really answer the question, but will hopefully put OP or someone else on the right track.]
Some google image searching suggests it might be the heraldic symbol of one or more Daimyo clans:
http://hakko-daiodo.com/kamon-c/cate0/hoshi/hoshi6.html [JP]
http://www.shop-japan.co.jp/shop/product/p-1483.html [JP]
https://koikuchiya.ocnk.net/product/233 [JP]
https://www.patternz.jp/japanese-family-crest-list-symbol/ [see the Samurai-related section]
I failed to locate the symbol's precise meaning or origin, besides the obvious finding that it's the round of seven [days] symbol using Google translate. Later googling further corroborated what Google translate suggested, with small variations but around the same theme.
That being said, that last site I linked to (patternz.jp; no affiliations) apparently offers a book on the subject, and they seem to sell a service to look it for you.
As to which families might be using the symbol or very similar ones, I found the Tanuma and the Kuki families, among others:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagara_Domain
http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~me4k-skri/han/toukai/sagara.html [JP; no idea how reliable this source is; it lists other families on other pages with a similar symbol, e.g. Matsudaira]
http://www.diffworlds.com/samurai/Provinces/totomi.htm [fiction site, but that specific page appears to be based on reference materials]
answered Mar 30, 2019 at 11:30
-
Note that "七曜" can also refer to the seven luminaries (planets) (including the moon and sun.) That's almost certainly a better reference as I don't think they used a seven day week when that would have been created.– user15620Commented Mar 30, 2019 at 16:21
-
Oh, and "丸" probably means circle. I'm not a Japanese speaker, though, so I'm unclear what the whole thing means...maybe something like "circle of the seven stars"?– user15620Commented Mar 30, 2019 at 16:26
-
Thanks, this really helps I also found this reference and I think it all adds up. makimono (scrolls) of the Hokushin Ittō-ryū many teachings and techniques have a direct connection to the hokkyokusei and the hokuto shichisei (big dipper). Both represent Myōken-Bosatsu and the Hokushin Ittō-ryū. Another representation is also the „maru ni nanatsu boshi“ crest (the seven stars of the big dipper). Maru ni Nanatsuboshi, is the crest shown in my first posted question.– MasumiCommented Mar 30, 2019 at 16:38