About us

 Botanical ango and Japanese family crests

Botanical ango creates originally designed products based on Japanese family crests. We want you to know that the Japanese family crest has some very fascinating and unique characteristics.

The family crest is a Japanese heraldic culture that began among the nobility in the 11th century during the Heian period (794-1185) and spread to the common people in the late Edo period. Not only the nobility, samurai, and other privileged classes were not forbidden to have their own family crests, but also the common people. Temples and shrines also have their own crests. As a result, there are a great many variations of family crest designs, said to number more than 5,000.

In addition, family crests often have unique motifs, ranging from plants to natural phenomena, animals, worn objects, and utensils. At first glance, some of them do not make sense as to why such motifs are used, but there is a hidden essence to them. When you look into the essence of these products, you will find it interesting to see that they reflect a great deal of Japanese culture and history, as well as the Japanese people's view of nature and values. We can also see the interesting nature of the "wabi-sabi," a preference for indirect expression of emotions and things.

As a designer of Botanical Ango, I was born in the big city of Tokyo and raised in a modern family, so I have lived without much connection to family crests. However, when I looked around at our lives, I realized that family crests are surprisingly alive and well in many parts of Japan. We then decided that we wanted to take this unique crest culture and its designs on a journey around the world. That was the beginning of Botanical Ango.

We would be more than happy if you love our world-traveling botanical angos. It will surely enrich your life!