The Land of the Rising Sun, as Japan is sometimes called, is itself a mystery to the European. This applies not only to the country as a whole, but also to its main city, history and symbols. First, the Japanese capital is not a city, but a metropolitan area. Secondly, it is not entirely correct to use the definition of "the coat of arms of Tokyo". Thirdly, in addition to the emblem, the district has other official symbols.
Symbol leader
As such, Tokyo does not have a coat of arms, the main heraldic symbol, it would be more correct to call it the emblem of the capital. By the way, experts in the field of heraldry note that the emblem was made contrary to all the canons of science about official state signs. This does not prevent the Japanese from positioning it as one of the important symbols, along with others, including:
- a white flag with the Tokyo sign in the center;
- the actual sign of Tokyo - the image of a ginkgo leaf;
- flower - the well-known sakura;
- tree - ginkgo, coinciding with the sign;
- bird - black-headed gull.
So, in terms of the number of official symbols, Tokyo is the leader among all cities and towns of the planet. Moreover, each of these elements is important and plays a role.
Laconicism and depth
The main emblem of Tokyo is the symbolic image of the sun, which has six rays. This amount is not accidental, by this the authors wanted to show that the sun illuminates the four cardinal points, the Earth and the Sky. The second symbolic meaning of the image of the solar disk is associated with the greatness of the Imperial capital.
The author of the Tokyo emblem was Watanabe Hiromoto, a well-known statesman in Japan. He left his mark on the history of the country as a politician, teacher, a person who showed remarkable diplomatic abilities. For only two years he served as head of the prefecture of Japan (from 1885 to 1886), but he managed to do a lot for the city, including for the appearance of official symbols that have survived to this day.
Sign and emblem
Sometimes in the literature you can find a description of another emblem of Tokyo - this is a ginkgo, a leaf of one of the most popular and beloved trees by the Japanese. The sign associated with beautiful Tokyo is bright green, a symbol of life.
In addition, the peculiar shape of the leaf in the form of the Roman letter "T" reminds of the first letter from which the name of the city is read. Also, the Japanese see three semicircles in the sheet, which, in their opinion, symbolize hard work, peace of mind and prosperity.
