Hidari Mitsudomoe 左三つ巴 Taiko Button

This button shows the round Japanese "Mitsudomoe" 三つ巴 (lit. "three commas") crest. The design itself goes back several centuries and it was highly popular among court aristocrats in the Heian Period (794 - 1185 AD), who used it to adorn roof tiles, ox wagon aisles and clothes, to name just a few examples. In the Sengoku Period (1467 – 1573 AD), it was taken up as a crest by the Japanese Samurai Yamamoto Kansuke, who was one the famed "Twenty-Four Generals of Takeda Shingen". The design was also used to adorn the drums of the Japanese thunder god Raijin, which is why it can be seen on a rather huge number of Taiko drums nowadays. This design is probably the one single symbol and graphical representation that is most associated with Taiko nowadays, and whenever you see it outside of a temple, it is most likely associated with some kind of Taiko activity. Show your passion for Taiko with this button!