A
tomoe or
tomoye (archaic) is a
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese
abstractAbstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. Western art had been, from the Renaissance up to the middle of the 19th century, underpinned by the logic of perspective and an...
shapeThe shape of an object located in some space is the part of that space occupied by the object, as determined by its external boundary – abstracting from other properties such as colour, content, and material composition, as well as from the object's other spatial properties The shape (from...
(i.e. a
swirlSwirl may refer to:* Swirl , an Australian indie rock band* Swirl , a multi-ethnic organization* Swirl 360, a melodic pop-rock band* Swirl People, a Belgian house music project* Sega Swirl, a puzzle game for the Sega Dreamcast...
) that resembles a
commaA comma is a type of punctuation mark .Comma may also refer to:* Comma , a type of interval in music theory* Comma , a species of butterfly* Comma , a short clause in Greek rhetoric...
or the usual form of
magatamaMagatama , are curved beads which first appeared in Japan during the Jōmon period.They are often found inhumed in mounded tumulus graves as offerings to deities . They continued to be popular with the ruling elites throughout the Kofun Period of Japan, and are often romanticised as indicative of...
. It is a common design element in and
corporateA corporation is a legal entity separate from the shareholders and employees. In British tradition it is the term designating a body corporate, where it can be either a corporation sole or a corporation aggregate...
logoA logo is a graphical element that, together with its logotype form a trademark or commercial brand. Typically, a logo's design is for immediate recognition...
s, particularly in triplicate whorls known as mitsu tomoe. One mitsu tomoe variant, the Hidari Gomon, is the traditional symbol of Okinawa.
The tomoe is very similar in design to the Korean sam-taegeuk, Tibetan
GankyilThe Gankyil is a symbol and ritual tool in Tibetan Buddhism. In Bön and Nyingma Dzogchen lineages, the Gankyil is the principal symbol and teaching tool: it is symbolic of primordial energy and represents the central unity and indivisibility of all the teaching, philosophical and doctrinal triune...
or Chinese
yin/yangIn Chinese philosophy, the concept of yin yang is used to describe how seemingly disjunct or opposing forces are interconnected and interdependent in the natural world, giving rise to each other in turn...
symbols.
On the opposite side of
EurasiaEurasia is a large landmass covering about 52,990,000 km
2 or about 10.6% of the Earth's surface...
, the
BasqueThe Basque Country is an Autonomous Community of northern Spain.The Basque Country was granted the status of historical region within Spain with the Spanish Constitution of 1978...
lauburuThe lauburu or Basque cross has four comma-shaped heads similar to the Japanese tomoe. It can be constructed with a compass and straightedge, beginning with the formation of a square template; each head can be drawn from a neighboring vertex of this template with two compass settings, with one...
and some forms of the
CeltCelts is a modern term used to describe any of the European peoples who spoke, or speak, a Celtic language...
ic spiral triskele resemble small groups of tomoe.
- The snowboarding company Burton uses the tomoye for its Ronin outerwear.
- The tomoe appear on the Raijin
is a god of thunder and lightning in Japanese mythology. His name is derived from the Japanese words rai and shin...
-like drums of the One Pieceis a long-running shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda, that has been serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump since August 4, 1997. The individual chapters are being published in tankōbon volumes by Shueisha, with the first released on December 24, 1997 and the 55th volume released...
villain Enel.
- They appear in the 'Sharingan' eyes of the fictional Uchiha clan in the Japanese anime Naruto
is an ongoing Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. The plot tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, an adolescent ninja who constantly searches for recognition and aspires to become a Hokage, the ninja in his village that is acknowledged as the leader and the strongest of...
, with the number (up to 3) indicating the level to which the eye has developed.
Discussion
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A
tomoe or
tomoye (archaic) is a
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese
abstractAbstract art uses a visual language of form, color and line to create a composition which may exist with a degree of independence from visual references in the world. Western art had been, from the Renaissance up to the middle of the 19th century, underpinned by the logic of perspective and an...
shapeThe shape of an object located in some space is the part of that space occupied by the object, as determined by its external boundary – abstracting from other properties such as colour, content, and material composition, as well as from the object's other spatial properties The shape (from...
(i.e. a
swirlSwirl may refer to:* Swirl , an Australian indie rock band* Swirl , a multi-ethnic organization* Swirl 360, a melodic pop-rock band* Swirl People, a Belgian house music project* Sega Swirl, a puzzle game for the Sega Dreamcast...
) that resembles a
commaA comma is a type of punctuation mark .Comma may also refer to:* Comma , a type of interval in music theory* Comma , a species of butterfly* Comma , a short clause in Greek rhetoric...
or the usual form of
magatamaMagatama , are curved beads which first appeared in Japan during the Jōmon period.They are often found inhumed in mounded tumulus graves as offerings to deities . They continued to be popular with the ruling elites throughout the Kofun Period of Japan, and are often romanticised as indicative of...
. It is a common design element in and
corporateA corporation is a legal entity separate from the shareholders and employees. In British tradition it is the term designating a body corporate, where it can be either a corporation sole or a corporation aggregate...
logoA logo is a graphical element that, together with its logotype form a trademark or commercial brand. Typically, a logo's design is for immediate recognition...
s, particularly in triplicate whorls known as mitsu tomoe. One mitsu tomoe variant, the Hidari Gomon, is the traditional symbol of Okinawa.
The tomoe is very similar in design to the Korean sam-taegeuk, Tibetan
GankyilThe Gankyil is a symbol and ritual tool in Tibetan Buddhism. In Bön and Nyingma Dzogchen lineages, the Gankyil is the principal symbol and teaching tool: it is symbolic of primordial energy and represents the central unity and indivisibility of all the teaching, philosophical and doctrinal triune...
or Chinese
yin/yangIn Chinese philosophy, the concept of yin yang is used to describe how seemingly disjunct or opposing forces are interconnected and interdependent in the natural world, giving rise to each other in turn...
symbols.
On the opposite side of
EurasiaEurasia is a large landmass covering about 52,990,000 km
2 or about 10.6% of the Earth's surface...
, the
BasqueThe Basque Country is an Autonomous Community of northern Spain.The Basque Country was granted the status of historical region within Spain with the Spanish Constitution of 1978...
lauburuThe lauburu or Basque cross has four comma-shaped heads similar to the Japanese tomoe. It can be constructed with a compass and straightedge, beginning with the formation of a square template; each head can be drawn from a neighboring vertex of this template with two compass settings, with one...
and some forms of the
CeltCelts is a modern term used to describe any of the European peoples who spoke, or speak, a Celtic language...
ic spiral triskele resemble small groups of tomoe.
In popular culture
- The snowboarding company Burton uses the tomoye for its Ronin outerwear.
- The tomoe appear on the Raijin
is a god of thunder and lightning in Japanese mythology. His name is derived from the Japanese words rai and shin...
-like drums of the One Pieceis a long-running shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda, that has been serialized in Weekly Shōnen Jump since August 4, 1997. The individual chapters are being published in tankōbon volumes by Shueisha, with the first released on December 24, 1997 and the 55th volume released...
villain Enel.
- They appear in the 'Sharingan' eyes of the fictional Uchiha clan in the Japanese anime Naruto
is an ongoing Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masashi Kishimoto. The plot tells the story of Naruto Uzumaki, an adolescent ninja who constantly searches for recognition and aspires to become a Hokage, the ninja in his village that is acknowledged as the leader and the strongest of...
, with the number (up to 3) indicating the level to which the eye has developed. They also form the Cursed Seal of Heaven which Orochimaruis a fictional character from the Naruto universe created by Masashi Kishimoto and developed into a media franchise, which consists of a series of manga, anime, soundtracks, OVAs, movies, video games, and other collectibles...
put on Sasuke Uchihais a fictional character in the Naruto manga and anime series created by Masashi Kishimoto. He was created as a rival and foil to the series' titular character, Naruto Uzumaki...
and Anko Mitarashi.
- In My-HiME
is an anime series, created by Sunrise. Directed by Masakazu Obara and written by Hiroyuki Yoshino, the series originally premiered in Japan on TV Tokyo from September 2004 to March 2005...
, Mai Tokihais a character from the My-HiME and My-Otome anime and manga series. She is voiced by Mai Nakahara in Japanese and Carol-Anne Day in English.- Common characteristics :Mai is depicted with short red/orange hair and a rather large bust...
's weapon is four Tomoe-like bracelets that circle around her wrists and ankles, giving her the ability to fly and to launch fire-based attacks.
- In the visual novel, Tsukihime
is a Japanese eroge dōjin visual novel game created by Type-Moon, who first released it at the Winter Comiket in December 2000. It was adapted in 2003 into an anime series, Shingetsutan Tsukihime, produced by J.C...
, Shiki Tohnois a character and protagonist of the Japanese visual novel and anime series Tsukihime, its sequel Kagetsu Tohya and its spinoff Melty Blood, created by TYPE-MOON...
's knife has a tomoe design.
- In the anime series My-Otome
is an anime series created by Sunrise. Directed by Masakazu Obara and written by Hiroyuki Yoshino, it is a spinoff of My-HiME anime series and as such My-Otome takes place in a new setting with new main characters....
, a character named Tomoe Margueriteis a secondary character in My Otome who is the 2nd top Coral student in Windbloom. She is also Chie Hallard's room attendant and later on in the series becomes an antagonist. In the anime, she is voiced by Rie Tanaka in Japanese and by Tracy Sutton in English....
is named after the tomoe.
- There is also one which appears on a child's toy in a later episode of the anime series Samurai Champloo
is a Japanese animated television series consisting of twenty-six episodes. It was broadcast in Japan from May 20, 2004, through March 19, 2005, on the television network, Fuji TV. Samurai Champloo was created and directed by Shinichirō Watanabe, whose previous work, Cowboy Bebop, earned him renown...
.
- Also appears on the shoulders of Rage Against The Machine
Rage Against the Machine , is an American alternative rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed in 1991...
and AudioslaveAudioslave was an American hard rock supergroup that was formed in Los Angeles, California in 2001. It consisted of ex-Soundgarden frontman, rhythm guitarist, and drummer Chris Cornell and the former instrumentalists of Rage Against the Machine: Tom Morello , Tim Commerford and Brad Wilk...
bass player Tim CommerfordTimothy Robert Commerford , also known by his various monikers/stage names Timothy Robert Commerford (born February 26, 1968 in Irvine, California), also known by his various monikers/stage names Timothy Robert Commerford (born February 26, 1968 in Irvine, California), also known by his various...
.
- In the anime Bleach it appears on one of the lower classed soul reapers, who faced off against Chad who defeated him easily. It's located on the left shoulder.
- Metal band Trivium
Trivium is a heavy metal band from Orlando, Florida, formed in 1999. The band has released four studio albums, eleven singles, and twelve music videos...
, whose frontman Matt HeafyMatthew Kiichi Heafy , also known as Matt Heafy, is the lead vocalist and guitarist for the band Trivium. Heafy is also the vocalist for the band Capharnaum, along with Trivium's old producer Jason Suecof....
is half-Japanese, have used the Tomoe as a logo/symbol.
- The Mitsudomoe appears as the main symbol of the MMO
The abbreviation MMO can stand for any of several things:*Marine Mammal Observer*Massively multiplayer online game*Means, motive and opportunity*Melton Mowbray railway station, England; National Rail station code MMO.*Methane Monooxygenase...
Tabula RasaRichard Garriott's Tabula Rasa was an MMORPG developed by Destination Games and published by NCsoft, designed in part by some of the creators of Ultima Online including Richard Garriott. The game was an RPG that blends certain shooter aspects into the combat system...
.
- In the anime Gintama
is an ongoing Japanese manga written and illustrated by Hideaki Sorachi. It has been serialized since December 8, 2003 in Shueisha's Weekly Shōnen Jump...
, Kagura's pet Sadaharu has tomoe shaped eyebrows.
- Defunct comic book publisher CrossGen
Cross Generation Entertainment, or CrossGen, was an American comic book publisher that operated from 1998 to 2004.CrossGen Comics, Inc. was founded in 1998, by Tampa, Florida-based entrepreneur Mark Alessi who sought to create a comic book universe that was uniquely varied but also connected by a...
used a futatsudomoe as their logo, and also as a sigil of power within many of their comic titles.
- In Osamu Tezuka's graphic novel, MW, there is a killer female dog named Tomoe. MW is available in English from America, France, Germany, and probably other places as well.
- In the Playstation 2 game Persona 4, one character's Persona is named Tomoe. Tomoe wields a double-bladed spear with resemblance to a futatsudomoe.
- In the Tokusatsu series Kamen Rider Hibiki
is a Japanese tokusatsu superhero television series. It is the fifteenth installment in the popular Kamen Rider Series of tokusatsu programs. It is a joint collaboration between Ishimori Productions and Toei. Kamen Rider Hibiki first aired on January 30, 2005 and aired its final episode on January...
the oni riders emblem is shaped like an mitsudomoe.
External links