A thousand-year-old tradition – Japanese heraldry and the art of the mon

A thousand-year-old tradition – Japanese heraldry and the art of the mon
Lilian Cailleaud

Samurai movies and dramas have seen a constant and growing enthusiasm outside of Japan. One of the distinctive features is the use of emblems on flags, clothes and many other items. These emblems, specific to Japan, are called mon, or kamon when associated with a family. They are broadly speaking understood as the Japanese version of the coat of arms found in Europe. In fact, Japan is the only other place in the world where a comprehensive system to represent people, temples, companies and more has been designed independently and is still in use outside of Europe. Please come and join us to learn more about these unique emblems, their history, their design and their use in Japan since the 11th century.
There will be a short introduction about mon and how it should be translated followed by a questions and answer session where you will be invited to ask questions to Lilian Cailleaud.
We invite you to familiarize yourselves with the history of Japanese emblems through the reading of the articles on Japanese heraldry published in the Coat of arms by Paul Martin Spiegel in VOL IX nbrs 68-69-70 (1966-1967).

Availlable at this link https://we.tl/t-EfuIB9gTFQ

Lilian Cailleaud has been studying Japanese heraldry for 20 years. He holds master’s degrees in history, with a speciality in Japan’s contemporary history, and international affairs. He has written several articles as well as given talks on the topic of Japanese heraldry in both English and French including one at the Embassy of Japan in Ottawa. He is a member and volunteer with OJCC/OJCA where he teaches mon kiri gami, which consists in folding and cutting paper in the shape of mon and other traditional designs. Lilian Cailleaud is also a member of the Nihon Kamon Kenkyukai (日本家紋研究会), the Japanese society for the study of family mon. When not studying Japanese heraldry, Lilian volunteers with Saint John Ambulance as a medical first responder and Council logistics officer.

Lilian has received the Order of St John service medal for 12 years of service as well as a Priory Vote of Thanks from the Priory of Canada.

His publications include:
•Japanese Blazon, Kaemon Press, January 2018
•Flags and Symbols of Firefighters in Early Eighteenth Century Japan, Vexillum, March2019
•Le blason Japonais, Société Française D’héraldique et de Sigillographie, October 2020
•Le résultat inattendu du blasonnement des armes de Charlotte Marguerite de Montmorency († 1650), Revue française d’héraldique et de sigillographie November 2021,
•On Japanese Merchant’s Marks (ie jirushi), Revue française d’héraldique et de sigillographie, April 2022
•Héraldique municipale japonaise, Société Française D’héraldique et de Sigillographie, January 2023
• Droite et gauche en héraldique japonaise, Revue française d’héraldique et de sigillographie, April 2024

Lilian is presently working on a study of the Japanese imperial family mons as well as a follow up article about municipal heraldry in Japan. Lilian now has a project to undertake a PhD program in which he will study how Japanese heraldry can be used to study the evolution of Japanese society in the Edo era.