Helmet Crest (Maidate)

Reverence for Hachiman, or simply Buddhist piety, may be expressed by this crest representing the finial of a shakujō, the symbolic staff carried by wandering Buddhist monks. In his incarnation as Sōgyō Hachiman, the god appears in the form of a tonsured Buddhist monk holding a shakujō in his right hand. The use of the shakujō spread with Buddhism from India into China, Tibet, and Japan. The jingling sound made by its loose rings served to announce the presence of monks seeking alms, who were prevented from speaking by a vow of silence. The noise was thought to warn insects and small animals of a monk's approach, lest they be accidentally crushed underfoot, and to ward off more dangerous animals. The shakujō was also used to perform exorcisms and in other ceremonial contexts. The number of rings is of symbolic significance. Wandering monks carried a shakujō outfitted with four rings, while six rings, as on this crest, were considered appropriate for Bodhisattva, such as Hachiman.