Imperial crest of Japan

During the Meiji period (1868–1912), no one was permitted to use the imperial crest except the Emperor of Japan, who used a 16-petalled chrysanthemum with sixteen tips of another row of petals showing behind the first row. Therefore, each member of the Imperial family used a slightly modified version of the crest. Shinto shrines either displayed the imperial crest or incorporated elements of the crest into their own tag. Earlier in Japanese history, when Emperor Go-Daigo, who tried to break the power of the shogunate in 1333, was exiled, he adopted the seventeen-petalled chrysanthemum in order to differentiate himself from the Northern Court's Emperor Kōgon, who kept the imperial 16-petalled mon. == Description ==

can also be referred to as an imperial crest The symbol is a yellow or orange chrysanthemum with black or red outlines and background. A central disc is surrounded by a front set of 16 petals. A rear set of 16 petals are half staggered in relation to the front set and are visible at the edges of the flower. An example of the chrysanthemum being used is in the star of the Order of the Chrysanthemum. Other members of the Imperial Family use a version with 14 single petals, while a form with 16 single petals is used for orders, passports, Diet members' pins, and other items that carry or represent the authority of the Emperor. The Imperial crest is also used on the standards of the Imperial Family. ==Gallery==

File:JapanpassportNew10y.PNG|Imperial crest emblazoned on the cover of a Japanese passport File:Imperial_Throne_Emperor_of_Japan.png|Imperial Throne of the Emperor of Japan File:Ikkyuji Tomb of Ikkyu2 DSCN1301 20101117.JPG|Emblazoned on the doors of a tomb in Kyōtanabe, Kyoto File:Imperial Seal of Japan.jpg|Bow of the battleship Mikasa File:Garter Banner of the Japanese Emperor.svg|Imperial crest on an Order of the Garter banner when the Emperor is a member of the Order File:Imperial seal of Japan.png|Imperial crest in Heraldischer Atlas (1899) File:Miyajima_stamp.JPG|Miyajima postage stamp (1939) File:皇族御料車.jpg|Imperial crest seen on a Toyota Century Royal, the state car of Japan File:Imperial Household Register.jpg|The imperial crest seen on the Imperial Household Register == See also ==