The Government Seal of Japan, one of the country's national seals, is the emblem (mon) of paulownia used by the Prime Minister, the Cabinet and the executive branch of the Government of Japan on official documents. It is generally known as the 5-7 Paulownia (五七桐), which has been used by those in power and is the official emblem of the Japanese government today. It resembles a stylized paulownia with 5-7-5 flowers. It is one of various paulownia mon, collectively known as the Paulownia Seals (桐紋) or the Paulownia Flower Seals (桐花紋).

History

Before the Chrysanthemum Seal was used extensively, the Paulownia Seal originally was the private symbol of the Japanese Imperial Family, from as early as the sixteenth century. The Toyotomi clan, led by Toyotomi Hideyoshi, later adopted the Paulownia Seal for use as the crest of his clan. After the Meiji Restoration, the seal was eventually adopted as the emblem of the Japanese government. It is now mainly used by the Japanese government, as a contrast to the Chrysanthemum Seal which represents the Emperor as the symbol of the sovereignty of the State, and members of the Imperial Family.

Designs

More than 140 designs exist. The most common one is the 5–3 Paulownia (五三桐), consisting of three leaves and an inflorescence of 3–5–3 flowers. It is found in the emblems of the Ministry of Justice, the Imperial Guard Headquarters, and the University of Tsukuba. The 5-7 Paulownia and 5-3 Paulownia are also called "Go-shichi Giri" and "Go-san Giri" without the particle "no" respectively, due to consonant mutation ("Kiri" → "Giri") known as rendaku in the Japanese language. The Paulownia Seals contain the leaves and flowers of Paulownia tomentosa ("princess tree"), which is called "kiri" (桐) or "shirogiri (白桐)" in Japanese.