Japanese Imperial Crest (Kiku Mon)
Worn By All Ships in Commission
The 16-petal chrysanthemum motif, or kiku mon, has long been an emblem of the Japanese imperial house. In the 19th-centuy Meiji revival, it was selected as a badge of naval commission to be worn at the bow of all ships in the Imperial Japanese Navy and coast defense forces. Above, one of the most famous kikus of all: the bow crest of the Imperial Flagship Mikasa in her permanent berth at Yokosuka. The biggest ever launched: the giant battleships Yamato and Musashi, both sunk in WWII, displayed a 3-meter flower on their bows.
Examples
The usual placement of the kiku mon was right at the peak of the prow; here on the battleship Hizen, as the captured Russian Retvizan was called in her lengthy Japanese service. This was the only Japanese battleship built in the U.S.A.
Instead of one at the peak, the 1912 battlecruiser Kurama carried one on either side at the bow.
Bow crest of the protected cruiser Takasago -- the quintessential Elswick Cruiser. Her kiku mon was embedded in an opulent display of Victorian "scrambled eggs." Although the vessel came to an early and tragic end, that was no reflection on the shipbuilding artistry of Armstrong-Whitworth, which crafted her at its amazing Elswick Works.
Less opulent, but still tastefully done, the crest of the battleship Yashima fresh from the Elswick Works in 1897. The gilt chrysanthemum nestles in a spiraling nest of dark-patinaed curlicues in the best Victorian tradition.
Bow crest of the cruiser Takachiho with a delegation of Japanese. Ship was built at Armstrong-Whitworth's Elswick Works in 1886. Kiku device was incorporated the into a larger bit of decorative scrollwork typical of the day.
The biggest kiku mon ever mounted went on the bows of the biggest battleships ever built -- the 70,000-ton super-ships Yamato and Musashi, commissioned 1941. Above, a full-size replica of the Yamato's upper works sports a 1.5-meter mon at the prow. The original rests on the bow of the Imperial Japanese flagship Yamato where she sank off Okinawa April 7, 1945 after taking a merciless pounding from U.S. aircraft (below). With her went the last despairing breath of Japanese naval ambition. But the mystique of the Yamato persists 70 years after her launch. The great ship is immortalized in giant models, theme parks, and, yes, science-fiction anime films transforming her to a space battleship. One wonders what the Mitsubishi shipwrights would think to see their invincible engine of war transformed to an object of frivolous entertainment. But as memoirs of the war years now reveal, many Japanese remained inwardly skeptical of the cult of militarism fed them by Tojo & Co. -- even thoughtful members of the IJN officer corps.
Pertinent Weblinks
The 16-petal chrysanthemum motif, or kiku mon, has long been an emblem of the Japanese imperial house. In the 19th-centuy Meiji revival, it was selected as a badge of naval commission to be worn at the bow of all ships in the Imperial Japanese Navy and coast defense forces. Above, one of the most famous kikus of all: the bow crest of the Imperial Flagship Mikasa in her permanent berth at Yokosuka. The biggest ever launched: the giant battleships Yamato and Musashi, both sunk in WWII, displayed a 3-meter flower on their bows.
Examples
The usual placement of the kiku mon was right at the peak of the prow; here on the battleship Hizen, as the captured Russian Retvizan was called in her lengthy Japanese service. This was the only Japanese battleship built in the U.S.A.
Instead of one at the peak, the 1912 battlecruiser Kurama carried one on either side at the bow.
Instead of one at the peak, the 1912 battlecruiser Kurama carried one on either side at the bow.
Bow crest of the protected cruiser Takasago -- the quintessential Elswick Cruiser. Her kiku mon was embedded in an opulent display of Victorian "scrambled eggs." Although the vessel came to an early and tragic end, that was no reflection on the shipbuilding artistry of Armstrong-Whitworth, which crafted her at its amazing Elswick Works.
Bow crest of the protected cruiser Takasago -- the quintessential Elswick Cruiser. Her kiku mon was embedded in an opulent display of Victorian "scrambled eggs." Although the vessel came to an early and tragic end, that was no reflection on the shipbuilding artistry of Armstrong-Whitworth, which crafted her at its amazing Elswick Works.
Less opulent, but still tastefully done, the crest of the battleship Yashima fresh from the Elswick Works in 1897. The gilt chrysanthemum nestles in a spiraling nest of dark-patinaed curlicues in the best Victorian tradition.
Less opulent, but still tastefully done, the crest of the battleship Yashima fresh from the Elswick Works in 1897. The gilt chrysanthemum nestles in a spiraling nest of dark-patinaed curlicues in the best Victorian tradition.
Bow crest of the cruiser Takachiho with a delegation of Japanese. Ship was built at Armstrong-Whitworth's Elswick Works in 1886. Kiku device was incorporated the into a larger bit of decorative scrollwork typical of the day.
Bow crest of the cruiser Takachiho with a delegation of Japanese. Ship was built at Armstrong-Whitworth's Elswick Works in 1886. Kiku device was incorporated the into a larger bit of decorative scrollwork typical of the day.
The biggest kiku mon ever mounted went on the bows of the biggest battleships ever built -- the 70,000-ton super-ships Yamato and Musashi, commissioned 1941. Above, a full-size replica of the Yamato's upper works sports a 1.5-meter mon at the prow. The original rests on the bow of the Imperial Japanese flagship Yamato where she sank off Okinawa April 7, 1945 after taking a merciless pounding from U.S. aircraft (below). With her went the last despairing breath of Japanese naval ambition. But the mystique of the Yamato persists 70 years after her launch. The great ship is immortalized in giant models, theme parks, and, yes, science-fiction anime films transforming her to a space battleship. One wonders what the Mitsubishi shipwrights would think to see their invincible engine of war transformed to an object of frivolous entertainment. But as memoirs of the war years now reveal, many Japanese remained inwardly skeptical of the cult of militarism fed them by Tojo & Co. -- even thoughtful members of the IJN officer corps.
The biggest kiku mon ever mounted went on the bows of the biggest battleships ever built -- the 70,000-ton super-ships Yamato and Musashi, commissioned 1941. Above, a full-size replica of the Yamato's upper works sports a 1.5-meter mon at the prow. The original rests on the bow of the Imperial Japanese flagship Yamato where she sank off Okinawa April 7, 1945 after taking a merciless pounding from U.S. aircraft (below). With her went the last despairing breath of Japanese naval ambition. But the mystique of the Yamato persists 70 years after her launch. The great ship is immortalized in giant models, theme parks, and, yes, science-fiction anime films transforming her to a space battleship. One wonders what the Mitsubishi shipwrights would think to see their invincible engine of war transformed to an object of frivolous entertainment. But as memoirs of the war years now reveal, many Japanese remained inwardly skeptical of the cult of militarism fed them by Tojo & Co. -- even thoughtful members of the IJN officer corps.
Pertinent Weblinks