"so" be it
DESCRIPTION
On my first day of work as Operations Manager at MTS I happened to mention that I had done some research into the family crest seen in an earlier blog post by Michelle Drummey entitled A Warrior in our Midst. Naturally, I was conscripted to share my discovery with you...TRANSCRIPT
"So" Be It
11/18/2012
By Andy Grilz
On my first day of work as Operations Manager at MTS I happened to mention that I
had done some research into the family crest seen in an earlier blog post by Michelle
Drummey entitled A Warrior in our Midst. Naturally, I was conscripted to share my
discovery with you.
Detail of Samurai helmet, or kabuto
This mon, or kamon, is a family emblem found on the Samurai helmet currently being
treated at MTS.
Courtesy of SamuraiWiki
A quick search of the web identified it as one of the kamon of the So clan, established
on the Island of Tsushima in the Korean Strait. The So are believed to be an offshoot of
the Koremune clan (although there is claim to lineage tracing back to historical hero
Taira no Tomomori). In 1274, leader So Kukekuni heroically perished defending
Tsushima against the Mongol invasion of Japan.
Given the geographic proximity and the mountainous terrain of Tsushima, the So have
been a prominent fixture in Japanese-Korean trade and relations since the late 12th
century. Despite years of mutually beneficial trade, So clan members did participate in
the unsuccessful invasions of Korea in the 1590s. But in the early 1600s So Yoshitoshi,
Han of the Tsushima Shogunate, actively worked to restore diplomatic and economic
relations between Japan and Korea of his own accord, despite having participated in the
invasion. His efforts were continued by his successors, with no less than 12 embassies
traveling to Korea between 1611 and 1800.
Family temple of the So clan, Banshou In Temple, c1615. Built by So Yoshinari, second
lord of the Tsushima domain, in order to pray for the repose of his father, So Yoshitoshi's soul.
The efforts of the So clan were critical in maintaining relations with Korea during the
Edo period. The Tokugawa Shogunate entrusted their official diplomatic relations with
Korea to the clan. Following the arrival of Admiral Perry and the ‘Black Ships’, the So
clan took a progressive position and fought against the ‘Revere the Emperor/Banish the
Barbarians’ movement, supporting the Shogunate. In 1871, with abolition of the Han
system, the head of the clan was named governor of the prefecture.