To understand our “Mon & Kanji” we must first define the terms: Mon are insignias or crests to depict family name. Kanji are characters that correspond to a word, and by combining these characters more words are created.
Our Mon consists of 5 Kanji characters and a symbol. The top two characters mean “Ju Jitsu”, the lower three “Bushido”. The symbol is the central figure and carries many meanings, the first being the blending of In and Yo.
In-Yo
As some may know, the In-Yo is the Japanese counterpart to Yin-Yang (characters traditionally shown as opposites eternally chasing one another). However, where Yin and Yang are always in harmony, in balance, the Japanese believe that "light" is always greater than "dark" (as indicated by the dark circle being smaller by the light circle). Here, however, In and Yo have merged, representing the coming together of opposing aspects, much as there are opposing aspects within our art which come together to create a technique (for example: compression and extension – opposite principles, yet when combined they create a joint lock; both principles necessary for the end result). Now blended, the traditional black and white combine to become red: the colour of both joy and anger in the East, life and danger in the West.
The symbol also consists of five points of intersection, a visual reference to the meaning of “Go”.
Finally, this symbol can be traced to the teacher of school, Sensei Kevin D. Lintott , as he is the one who created it and defined its multiple meanings. It has become a part of the Lintott history and much as a family crest is the visual representation of one’s roots, this is the visual representation of our school and Chief Instructor and his roots.
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