Do you know the Chinese yin-yang symbol?
Chinese yin-yang
It’s meant to symbolize how opposites complete everything.
Life and death. Male and female. Good and evil. And so on.
Many people in the West think that that symbol is used in all of Asia.
But it’s Chinese.
Other Asian countries have similar ones, though.
In Korea, they use a similar symbol but without the two contrasting colored dots. And their symbol is usually red and blue.
This symbol is on the Korean flag.
Flag of South Korea.
In Japan, the closest symbol to these is the 「三つ巴」 (“Mitsudomoe“).
Japanese 三つ巴
There’s also a less-common version with two tomoe like the Chinese and Korean ones above…but it’s still uniquely Japanese. It’s called 「二つ巴 (“Futatsudomoe“):
Japanese 二つ巴
In Japan, the mitsudomoe is more common than the futatsudomoe. It’s often seen on 提灯 (Japanese paper lanterns) and 太鼓 (Taiko drums).
I took this photo of a 三つ巴 on a 提灯 (paper lantern) with my cell-phone.
Japanese 太鼓 drum
It also can be seen as a 家紋 (Japanese family crest).
Here are a few common 家紋 (Japanese family crests)…the mitsudomoe is amongst them:
家紋
Japanese appreciate simple and less-flashy designs. So, 家紋 (Japanese family crests) are much simpler than colorful European family crests.
A European family crest
Tokyo Five 
wooooow!!! IM FROM MEXICO THANKS GREAT INFO IM JUST POSTING ON FB IVE BEEN LOOKING FOR THIS INFO 2 HOURS THAKS YOU!!!
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I’m glad that my site was helpful to you … but I’m disappointed that it took two hours to find it!
Anyways, thanks for commenting.
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I was doing some research and the chinese style “Yin-Yang” is called “Inyodo” in Japan.
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The Chinese teachings of “Yin-Yang” are called 「陰陽道」 (which can be read as “Inyoudou” or “Onmyoudou“).
The “Yin-Yang” symbol (which you have as your avatar) is called 「太極図」 (Taikyokuzu) in Japanese.
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Ahhh, thanks for elaborating!
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Sure.
And I just added a photo that I took today with my cell-phone of a 提灯 (Japanese paper lantern) with a 三つ巴 (mitsudomoe) on it.
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Yeah…I remember Japanese family name has Kamon. but I already forgot mine…
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You forgot what your family crest looks like?
I know my wife’s 家紋 (family crest). (It’s not 三つ巴. 😉 )
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not knowing is okay – there are things we all do not know
not knowing and thinking you do is unforgivable
or not knowing and thinking you don’t have to know in order to have an opinion – that’s just arogant
i really like that japanese symbol
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>not knowing (about other cultures) is okay…
In this “Information Age“, I guess people will start learning more about other cultures in the world.
>i really like that japanese symbol
It’s popular.
A member of the rock band “Rage Against The Machine” has two of them tattooed on his shoulders,
and the bands Sepultura, Trivium, and others have used it on album covers.
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oh wow – that is interesting
the ignorance of the west with regards asia is really shocking me at the moment – and i include myself
i get so cross when Europeans and Americans get countries in Africa mixed up or make some kind of homogenous soup of our cultures etc , and yet it is exactly what we (westerns) do to ‘the east’
the japanese symbol is very pretty – but does it mean the same as the yin yang one? cos the blanace between white and black is not even.
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>the ignorance of the west with regards asia
People in countries that are far apart usually don’t know much about each other. And there are often misconceptions.
I’ll be honest. I don’t know very much at all about Africa.
>the japanese symbol is very pretty
I think it’s the coolest one.
>but does it mean the same as the yin yang one?
No. The one with three parts is meant to symbolize earth, sky, and man.
The one with two represents earth and sky.
The Korean one is similar to the Chinese one…but I believe it’s parts represent earth and sky, as well.
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