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Even before the golden period of Japanese heraldry, the beautiful
butterfly pattern was a favorite amongst warlords and their
samurai, from as early as the Nara period (710 AD - 786 AD).
Displayed
as crest or emblem on their armor, it appears to have been
favored for its apparent delicate nature and elegant symmetry,
achieved through the evolution from lowly caterpillar to noble
insect. |
Men
of the ill-fated Taira (Heike or Heishi) clan -Japan rulers
from
794 AD until 1185 AD- were particularly fond of the butterfly design.
The
Taira, betrayed and outnumbered, were annihilated by the Minamoto
clan at the great naval battle of Dan-no-ura in 1185. The surviving
nobles committed suicide by jumping into the sea -graceful death
considered preferable to a life in shame- but, according to one
legend, their souls became butterflies. The Taira went down fighting,
and so earned themselves the traditional Japanese admiration for
brave and doomed warriors.
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