Bold iconic designs have been used to symbolize family names in Japan for ages. The sense of “family” has changed in modern Japan, but the crests’ high-contrast motifs and simple geometries are right at home in our logo-emblazoned age, even as the designs express old cultural interests and ideals: cherry blossoms, well buckets, floating clouds. Presenting over 850 family crests (kamon) with descriptions, cultural backgrounds, and a selection of photographs showing how crests are used on banners, signs, and buildings, this visually delightful book is of special interest to graphic designers, quiltmakers, and illustrators.