Mon , also called mondokoro (紋所) or kamon , are Japanese emblems used to decorate and identify an individual, a family, or an institution. Mon is an encompassing term that may refer to any such device, kamon and mondokoro refer specifically to emblems that are used to identify a family, while shinmon (神紋), shamon (社紋), and jimon (寺紋) identify god, shrine, or temple, respectively.