Tomoe

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

You have new messages (last change).

For other uses, see Tomoe (disambiguation).

A mitsudomoe design on a taiko drum

Jeju-do's flag has a mitsu tomoe on it, as did the Ryūkyū Kingdom's flags.

A tomoe or tomoye (archaic) (巴) is a Japanese abstract shape that resembles a comma or the usual form of magatama. It is a common design element in Japanese family emblems (kamon, 家紋) and corporate logos, particularly in triplicate whorls known as mitsu tomoe. One mitsu tomoe variant, the Hidari Gomon, is the traditional symbol of Okinawa. The tomoe is also the symbol of the U.S. Department of Transportation.

On the opposite side of Eurasia, the Basque lauburu and some forms of the Celtic spiral triskele resemble small groups of tomoe.

[edit] In Popular Culture

The tomoe appear on the Raijin-like drums of the One Piece villain Enel.
They also appear in the 'Sharingan' eyes of the fictional Uchiha clan in the Japanese anime Naruto, with the number (up to 3) indicating the level to which the eye has developed.
In My-HiME Episode 1, Mai shields herself from Natsuki Kuga's bullets from her Element and her child Duran.
There is also one which appears on a child's toy in a later episode of the anime series Samurai Champloo.
Also appears on the shoulders of Rage Against The Machine/Audioslave bassist Tim Commerford.