Second Shō dynasty instance of noble family
Family crest
The second Shō family adopted as its mon or family crest the mitsudomoe, which is otherwise closely associated with the Shinto deity Hachiman and Hachiman shrines in Japan. It was called hidari gomon (左御紋) in Okinawa. Since it was the royal family's crest, its usage was once severely restricted in Okinawa. Because of this, Okinawans who visited Japan shortly after the annexation of the kingdom were surprised that mitsudomoe banners were flown everywhere.The adoption of the Hidari Gomon is attested to the last ruler of Okinawa's First Shō Dynasty, King Shō Toku. The King, possibly inspired by Japanese pirates who worshipped the Japanese god of war, Hachiman, adopted Hachiman's symbol and led an invasion of Kikai Island in 1467, later building the Asato Hachimangū shrine and taking the divine name of Hachiman-aji in response to his victory. Corroborating this was the discovery of a wooden coffin inscribed with a mitsudomoe and the year 1500 found in the Momojana tombs in Northern Okinawa.
type of example of manifestation of representation of