Why The Fan?

The fan design you see throughout the website is our mon.

As the chibabogu.com website says:

The kamon, or traditional seal for households, go back to the feudal period of Japan, when family names, social status, and association to recognized domains were a part of the social landscape.

Families had their own seal, which served as the symbol of the house. In some cases of the powerful or wealthy, the use of this emblem could extend on to favored persons or families who served under them.

Warrior houses, often emblazened their armor, the trappings of their horses and battle equipment to indentify themselves in the field.

This custom lives on in the modern times as kendo men and women still adorn their kendo armor with their chosen kamon, applied to the do-dai, the hard lower portion of the body armor, or embroidered into the mune or ago, the chest and throat protectors, respectively.

With family lines less distinct, in these days, some will select the kamon of a famous shrine or old feudal region. People living in foreign lands may adopt the kamon of their teacher, or use the emblem of their club or federation. In any case, the purpose and effect is still the same, this symbol serves to indentify the individual, and association to the group.

It is in this context our mon - which was designed by club secretary Stewart Hutton - marks our place in the traditions of kendo:

We acknowledge our links with our mother dojo - Edinburgh Kendo Club - who have a red celtic knot as their mon.
We acknowledge our links with the British Kendo Association - who have a mon based on a fan with the red rising sun of Japan in its centre.
And we acknowledge our links with St Andrews by basing our key pattern on a design found carved into an ancient stone in the vicinity of St Andrews Cathedral.