1. Samurai family crests Kamon さむらい かもん

2. The first family crests in Japan  The first people in japan to design and put family crests on their belongings were people related to the royal family. They did this to show that they were important, rich and deserved respect! But, also just to show whose things belonged to whom.  Notice that this crest is gold rather than black and white like all the others you see, I’m guessing this is because it is the emperors family crest!

3. The first Samurai family crests  Samurai started uses family crests so they could recognise who was on their side in a battle. So at first samurai family crests were very simple because they needed to be able to be recognised quickly, easily and from a distance during the stress of a fierce battle. Also, family crests helped the powerful samurai leaders to see who was fighting hard in battle and who needed to be told off for not trying hard enough!

4. How samurai displayed their crests  Samurai displayed their crests on armour, weapons including swords, flags and on their clothing.

8. Samurai family crests in peacetime  After the shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu stopped all the samurai fighting over land and Japan became peaceful the samurai family crests were used simply to show that the family was a samurai family and they deserved respect.  Now that the samurai no longer needed the crests to identify themselves during battle, the crest designs became much more complicated.

9. Samurai crest design  Samurai family crests were simplified pictures or symbols of many different things………..  Insects  Animals  Flowers  Plants  Weapons  Household items  Letters (Japanese kanji characters) for example 強 which means strong  Tools  Geometry  Buildings  Samurai thought carefully when designing their crest and it always held some meaning or represented something that they believed was important. For example a snake might be used because japanese believe snakes are very cunning and smart.

10. Flower meanings  To japanese people when you choose a flower for a family crest or even just give someone a bunch of flowers, each flower has a special meaning, it carries a message.  Have a look at this website for the meanings of different flowers.  http://www.geocities.ws/kazenaga23/hana.htm http://www.geocities.ws/kazenaga23/hana.htm

16. Your mission!  Choose one of the samurai bushido values  1. 義 Gi – Honesty: Be honest in your dealings with everybody. Believe in justice; not justice given by others, only your own justice. For a true samurai there are no shades of grey in terms of honesty and justice. There is only right and wrong.  2. Yuu 勇 - Courage: Rise above the mass of people who are afraid to act. Hiding like a turtle in its shell is not a way of living. A samurai must have heroic courage. It is quite risky. It is dangerous. You must live life completely, wonderfully and in full. Heroic courage is not blind. It’s smart and strong. Replace fear with respect and caution.  3. 仁 Jin – Compassion: Through intense training the samurai becomes quick and strong. He is not like other men. He must develop a power that should be used for the good of everybody. He has compassion. Help your colleagues at every opportunity. If the opportunity does not arise, he goes out of his way to find it.  4. 礼 Rei – Respect ; Samurai have no reason to be cruel. No need to prove his strength. A samurai is courteous even to his enemies. Without this respect to others we are no better than animals. A samurai is not only respected for their ferocity in battle, but also by the way they treat others. The true inner strength of the samurai becomes apparent in times of trouble.  5. 誠 Makoto - Sincerity ; absolute sincerity When a samurai has said he will, it is as if it was already done. Nothing on the earth will stop him from realizing what he has said that he will do. A samurai does not need to give his word; a samurai does not need to promise anything. When a samurai speaks, it is because he will act. There is not stepping back.  6. 名誉 Meiyo – Honour ; The true samurai has only one judge of his honour, and that is himself. The choices you make and how you work to obtain them are a reflection of who you really are. You cannot hide from yourself.  7. 忠 Chuu – Fairness ; To do or say something means that those words or acts belong to you. You are responsible for them and all consequences resulting from them. A samurai is immensely loyal to those under their care. For those he is responsible for, he remains loyal. The words of a man are like his fingerprints, you can track them wherever he goes.

17.  Think of an object that you could use as a symbol to represent that value. It might be something that reminds you of that value. Maybe an animal or plant that you think demonstrates that value……………..  For example you may create a design from the shape of a eucalyptus leaf because they show great endurance during the hot summers in Australia.  Or the shape of a kangaroos tale as it uses it for balance and to move very fast.