20:
1040:
1007:
483:
202:– hence one or two hiragana or katakana if written that way – and thus can be represented as one symbol plus one kanji character, sometimes one hiragana or katakana. Only a few symbols are used, and thus only a few names can be written as a monogram this way.
1039:
277:
There are many variations on the basic design of rebus monograms – only one character from the name may be used, the pronunciation need not correspond to an actual name, other typographical symbols can be used (like
192:; the other a simple symbol, such as a circle or square. The symbol is pronounced according to its name, and together (in either order, but generally symbol first) these form a Japanese name.
357:
reading does not correspond to an actual name (the family name is instead
Hamaguchi), though it sounds like a family name and such a family name does exist (e.g., written in the form
205:
A name may be represented by a symbol that does not correspond to it but is homophonous – further punning – which is aided by the large degree of homophony in
Japanese. For example,
1006:
19:
752:
There is no standard everyday
Japanese term for rebus monograms. Rather, they are referred to by their use, such as "trade name"
1021:
476:
1233:
828:
As designs and corporate symbols, rebus monograms date at least to the mid-17th century, and early on were featured on
1261:
1256:
289:
1192:
1132:
Katakana is frequently used due to its legibility and graphic simplicity, which are suited for use in a logo.
513:
soy sauce (tortoises are said to live for 10,000 years), which uses a hexagon to symbolize a tortoise shell (
903:. Today the most often seen of these pictorial symbols is a picture of a sickle, a circle, and the letter
836:. They presumably come from the graphic tradition of the battlefield flags of the Warring States Period (
301:
can be spelt as ○∧ – and unpronounceable or unpronounced symbols may also be incorporated decoratively.
656:
234:
195:
409:
1251:
1053:
366:
These readings are used for other symbols as well. Most commonly, a circled symbol is pronounced
856:, where family emblems are pronounced according to the design, yielding the family name, as in
113:
542:
Only a handful of symbols are commonly used, though some have different readings; these are:
389:
1196:
837:
450:
304:
For example, the Yamasa symbol was created as a modification of the boat emblem of the
1245:
309:
1107:
1100:
1047:
851:
254:
in a name may be represented by the symbol ○, though this actually corresponds to
220:
in a name may be represented by the symbol ┐, though this actually corresponds to
845:
773:
482:
881:
840:, mid-15th to early 17th century), as seen in the simple clan name designs of
117:
841:
180:
The monogram is composed of two parts: one a
Japanese character, most often
128:
330:
in Kishū, and the ∧ being purely decorative. The Yamasa variant turned the
127:
These symbols are particularly common for traditional food brands, notably
1172:
1152:
510:
487:
305:
189:
185:
105:
1222:
781:
1189:
992:
132:
279:
1210:
1113:
1084:
900:
831:
481:
199:
181:
109:
18:
121:
40:
848:. More broadly, these come from the same heraldic tradition as
198:
are generally two kanji characters, each usually of one or two
288:), two symbols (and no characters) may be used – for example,
899:
were immensely popular, and involved similar wordplay; see
427:
as their symbol. They are thus known colloquially as the
1098:
1045:
970:
932:
872:
866:
849:
829:
724:
718:
693:
669:
642:
617:
593:
568:
428:
367:
352:
325:
283:
142:
38:
877:as a whole is not pronounceable as the full name.
392:. A notable example is the tax inspection division
388:; circling a symbol is common, dating to circular
108:in a particular style, which spells a name via a
1056:; the symbol is meant to represent the hiragana
1074:
1057:
1012:
984:
955:
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919:
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337:
255:
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158:
82:
67:
52:
24:
1064:
1029:
1019:
978:
962:
947:
926:
911:
892:
871:feature kanji taken from the family name, the
807:
791:
771:
755:
731:
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676:
649:
624:
600:
575:
527:
514:
502:
470:
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344:
336:character on its side and reinterpreted it as
331:
319:
313:
294:
262:
247:
228:
213:
165:
150:
136:
120:. Today they are most often seen in corporate
89:
74:
59:
46:
31:
448:. This is notably present in the movie title
8:
45:(name spelt out at top right), with a rebus
1110:, the Western equivalent for coat of arms
991:, and dates to circa 1700, being used in
544:
1168:
1166:
1164:
1162:
1160:
1145:
1125:
1002:
469:. As katakana this would be written as
16:Name spelled with a symbolic visual pun
479:for Unicode standard circled symbols.
1185:
1183:
7:
788:, etc., or generically as "symbol"
14:
1038:
1005:
967:, "don't worry, doesn't matter")
372:+ (symbol reading), for "circle"
477:Enclosed CJK Letters and Months
135:soy sauce, which is a ∧ with a
318:, with the katakana character
1:
1190:【スタッフ日記】カネ○○、マル○○、ヤマ○○…屋号のヒミツ
884:, pictorial rebuses known as
131:. An example is the logo for
954:, the old-fashioned form of
312:, which was composed as ∧ +
1099:
1075:
1058:
1046:
1013:
985:
971:
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941:
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762:
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694:
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618:
594:
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560:Other character's position
521:
496:
494:Rarer variants exist, like
463:
435:
429:
414:
402:
382:
368:
353:
338:
326:
284:
256:
241:
222:
207:
159:
143:
83:
68:
53:
39:
25:
1278:
141:under it. This is read as
1065:
1030:
1020:
979:
963:
948:
927:
912:
893:
808:
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772:
756:
732:
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229:
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151:
137:
90:
75:
60:
47:
32:
1026:, East Circle Soy Sauce)
969:. This is known as the "
507:, tortoise-shell 10,000)
157:(symbolized by the ∧) +
66:(symbolized by the ∧) +
412:, which uses a circled
102:Japanese rebus monogram
491:
97:
96:(symbolized by the 💧)
485:
196:Japanese family names
51:💧, which is read as
22:
1014:Higashi-maru shouyu
634:under the mountain
410:National Tax Agency
1234:鎌輪奴文（かまわぬもん） 歌舞伎文様
1195:2013-11-12 at the
1114:Rebus § Japan
1054:Tottori Prefecture
995:since circa 1815.
657:carpenter's square
585:inside the circle
492:
235:carpenter's square
124:or product logos.
98:
1262:Japanese language
1257:Japanese heraldry
1211:かま わ ぬ ［3］ 【鎌輪奴▽】
939:, interpreted as
745:
744:
661:inside the angle
114:Japanese wordplay
1269:
1236:
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938:
936:
931:, sickle circle
930:
929:
923:
917:
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914:
908:
898:
896:
895:
889:
876:
870:
864:
863:("three arrows")
861:
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738:diamond, rhombus
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37:
36:, Japan droplet)
35:
34:
28:
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1197:Wayback Machine
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1017:
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976:
960:
945:
924:
909:
890:
862:
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804:, "symbol mark"
789:
769:
753:
750:
741:inside the box
710:inside the box
540:
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454:
439:
418:
393:
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342:
292:
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226:
211:
178:
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112:, as a form of
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17:
12:
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5:
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838:Sengoku period
825:
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768:, "store name"
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538:Common symbols
536:
464:Marusa no onna
451:A Taxing Woman
308:branch of the
274:
271:
177:
174:
26:Yamato Shizuku
15:
13:
10:
9:
6:
4:
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2:
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1216:
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1200:(in Japanese)
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1194:
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1176:(in Japanese)
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987:
973:
958:
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922:
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902:
888:
883:
878:
875:
869:
865:. While many
860:
854:
853:
847:
843:
839:
834:
833:
823:
821:
816:
815:shimboru māku
800:
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764:
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721:
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623:
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465:
453:
452:
437:
431:
416:
411:
404:
391:
384:
370:
364:
355:
340:
328:
324:used for the
311:
310:Tokugawa clan
307:
302:
291:
286:
281:
272:
270:
258:
252:, ... garden)
243:
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224:
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85:
70:
55:
43:
42:
27:
21:
1229:
1218:
1206:
1148:
1128:
1108:Canting arms
986:kamawanu-mon
879:
827:
751:
541:
493:
486:A bottle of
449:
365:
303:
276:
204:
194:
179:
147:for mountain
126:
101:
99:
23:A bottle of
1223:鎌輪奴文 かまわぬもん
1087:of Tottori.
901:Rebus#Japan
880:During the
846:Uma-jirushi
748:Terminology
557:Description
184:, but also
176:Composition
64:, mountain)
1246:Categories
1140:References
1083:to form a
1071:and a bird
1028:, showing
921:kama-wa-nu
918:, read as
882:Edo period
497:Kikkou man
273:Variations
118:visual pun
94:, droplet)
1252:Monograms
1153:醤油の知識: 屋号
957:kamawanai
887:hanjimono
842:Sashimono
532:, 10,000)
490:soy sauce
436:maru + sa
403:sasatsubu
267:, circle)
129:soy sauce
1193:Archived
1173:伊勢町に残る標号
1093:See also
972:kamawanu
942:kamawanu
859:Mitsu-ya
631:mountain
534:inside.
519:), with
511:Kikkoman
488:Kikkoman
290:Maruyama
218:, metal)
190:hiragana
186:katakana
106:monogram
1022:ヒガシマル醤油
999:Gallery
824:History
820:, etc.
809:シンボルマーク
551:Reading
433:, from
408:of the
84:shizuku
33:やまと しずく
993:kabuki
683:corner
607:circle
582:circle
548:Symbol
475:; see
430:Marusa
354:Yamasa
133:Yamasa
1213:, 大辞林
1120:Notes
1085:rebus
975:sign"
832:noren
799:hyōgō
763:shōgō
726:bishi
720:hishi
554:Kanji
458:マルサの女
390:seals
306:Kishū
285:shime
239:; or
200:morae
182:kanji
122:logos
110:rebus
104:is a
1076:tori
980:鎌輪奴文
964:構わない
844:and
782:yagō
695:kaku
671:kado
644:kane
619:yama
570:maru
509:for
383:maru
369:maru
223:kane
208:kane
144:Yama
54:yama
41:sake
1101:Mon
1052:of
1048:Mon
949:構わぬ
928:鎌輪ぬ
894:判じ物
874:mon
868:mon
852:mon
707:box
522:man
504:亀甲萬
397:査察部
363:).
242:-en
188:or
116:or
1248::
1182:^
1159:^
1059:to
1031:東○
983:,
934:nu
906:nu
812:,
796:,
793:標号
778:,
774:屋号
760:,
757:商号
723:,
595:en
516:亀甲
461:,
443:〇査
415:sa
400:,
380:,
360:山佐
339:sa
327:ki
296:円山
282:,
269:.
257:en
233:,
172:.
160:sa
100:A
81:+
69:to
48:∧ト
1080:)
1073:(
1069:)
1066:と
1063:(
1018:(
989:)
977:(
961:(
952:)
946:(
937:)
925:(
916:)
913:ぬ
910:(
897:)
891:(
818:)
806:(
802:)
790:(
786:)
770:(
766:)
754:(
733:菱
715:♢
702:角
690:□
678:角
666:┐
651:矩
639:┐
626:山
614:∧
602:円
590:〇
577:丸
565:〇
529:萬
526:(
501:(
472:㋚
467:)
455:(
446:)
440:(
425:)
422:査
419:(
406:)
394:(
386:)
377:丸
374:(
349:)
346:サ
343:(
333:キ
321:キ
315:キ
299:)
293:(
280:〆
264:円
261:(
249:園
246:(
237:)
230:矩
227:(
215:金
212:(
170:)
167:サ
164:(
155:)
152:山
149:(
138:サ
91:雫
88:(
79:)
76:ト
73:(
61:山
58:(
30:(
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