Mon Elements: Star

Stars (hoshi/星 or yō/曜) are represented in mon by simple solid circles. The shadowed variant, an outlined circle, is also common. As a simple design, it is found in some of the earliest mon. This is the element used today in Japan’s flag, the “sun disc”; while a period mon, it was not used as a national emblem until Meiji Japan.

• Tricolor Sun Fan
• Shadowed, Nine Stars