Government Seal of Japan



 Lynn Atchison Beech
Government Seal of Japan

The Government Seal of Japan, also called the Paulownia Seal (桐紋 kirimon?) or Paulownia Flower Seal (桐花紋 tōkamon?), is a mon or a crest used by the Cabinet of Japan and the Government of Japan on official documents. One version is used as the official emblem of the office of the Prime Minister of Japan. It resembles a stylized paulownia flower with 5-7-5 leaves. It was the crest of the Toyotomi clan.

The go-shichi no kiri (literally in English Paulownia of 5-7), as it is alternatively called, represents the democratically elected representatives of the government as a contrast to the chrysanthemum of the Imperial Seal of Japan, which represents the Emperor of Japan, who is the symbol of the sovereignty of the state.

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