A beautiful Japanese family crest with a richly conceived design. Family crests have been used to identify individuals and families. It is said that more than 200 types of family crests are still in use today. Let's introduce the types of family crests, their names, and the military commanders and celebrities who have used family crests.

Tachibana crest

Its origin dates back to the Nara period. It began in Michiyo, Inukai Prefecture, who was given the surname Tachibana by Emperor Genmei. Tachibana is a small evergreen tree of the Rutaceae family. As it remains green throughout the year, it symbolizes eternity and continuity.

The Tachibana clan is said to have flourished most during the Nara period. In the Heian period, they were pushed out by the Fujiwara clan and others and were shut out from the center stage of politics. However, it produced some famous literary figures. There are others such as Isse Tachibana, who left his name in calligraphy, and Naishibu Koshikibu, whose poems are included in the Hyakunin Isshu. Also, from the middle of the Heian period onward, some samurai families began to emerge. During the Nanbokucho period, Masashige Kusunoki claimed to have his roots in the Tachibana clan.

The family crest of Ii Naomasa, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Tokugawa, “Hikone Tachibana”

Over time, Naomasa Ii, one of the Four Heavenly Kings of Tokugawa, also used the Tachibana crest. The Ii family's family crest, Hikone Tachibana, was created by arranging the leaves and sepals based on the Tachibana crest.

Naomasa Ii began serving Ieyasu when he was 15 years old. There is an episode in which Naomasa's handsome youth caught the attention of Ieyasu when he went falconry, and Naomasa decided to serve him. He is not only beautiful, but also an active military commander. He became famous for his ``red preparation,'' which unified all weapons in red. He was also active in the Battle of Sekigahara, but died two years later from the wounds he received at that time.

Among the Tokugawa Four Heavenly Kings, Ii Naomasa is known as Tokugawa Ieyasu's favorite vassal. The Ii family continued to be a senior vassal of the Tokugawa family until Naosuke Ii, an elder statesman at the end of the Edo period, fell during the Sakuradamon Gai Incident.

Reference book: “Sengoku Warlord Visual Profile 200” by Yasuhiro Aoki, Impress Communications
Family crest material: Luminous Great Hall