Tomoe

"Mitsudomoe" redirects here. For the media franchise, see Mitsudomoe (manga).

For other uses, see Tomoe (disambiguation).

Japanese court archers wearing tomo, an arm protector

A tomoe or tomoye (archaic) (巴) is a Japanese abstract shape (a swirl) that resembles a comma or the usual form of magatama. The origin of tomoe is uncertain. Some think that it originally meant tomoe (鞆絵), or drawings on tomo (ja:鞆), a round arm protector used by an archer, whereas others see tomoe as stylized magatama. It is a common design element in Japanese family emblems (家紋, kamon) and corporate logos, particularly in triplicate whorls known as mitsudomoe (三つ巴). Some view the mitsudomoe as representative of the threefold division (Man, Earth, and Sky) at the heart of the Shinto religion. Originally, it was associated with the Shinto war deity Hachiman, and through that was adopted by the samurai as their traditional symbol. One mitsudomoe variant, the Hidari Gomon, is the traditional symbol of Okinawa. The Koyasan Shingon sect of Buddhism uses the Hidari Gomon as a visual representation of the cycle of life.

The tomoe is very similar in design to the Korean sam-taegeuk and Tibetan Gankyil.

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

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  A mitsudomoe design on a taiko drum

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  The Ryūkyū Kingdom flag had a mitsudomoe on it

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  A futatsudomoe (two-fold tomoe)

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  The flag of Jeju has a similar symbol.

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  A non-Japanese solar symbol resembling a fourfold tomoe

See also

• Lauburu

External links

• Japan Emblem Library - tomoe design patterns (Japanese)
• JAANUS/ tomoemon
• The Shinto Trinity
• Aikido Sangenkai: Mitsu-domoe at the Kami-Shirataki Shrine