International Budo Symposium 7 December 2008 Hosted by the National Institute of Fitness and Sports in Kanoya, Kagoshima prefecture, Japan

Symbol

The Symbol of the International Budo Symposium 2008, as it is displayed here, has been designed specifically for this purpose. In considering such a design, the goal was to connect the aim of the symposium with the history of its location. The symbol’s design consists of two main components, the old form of the character ‘rei’ (‘bow’) in red and a slightly altered version of the Kimotsuki family crest.
The Kimotsuki family was a powerful samurai family rooted in what used to be Osumi province (the eastern part of Kagoshima prefecture) since the late Heian period, that held military sway over an area of land including Kanoya. The Kimotsuki family crest consists of two cranes facing each other with a young pine tree in the middle.