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What is a tomoye?
The Japanese word "tomo-e" refers to a comma-shaped symbol. Two tomo-e together produce the familiar yin-yang design, and three, it is said, create the harmony of a perfect circle. Hundreds of variations on tomo-e designs have been used in Japanese heraldry for centuries.Elder first used the design, which he anglicized as the word "tomoyé", in 1900, and it became a logo of sorts for him. He used it in many books and magazines over the next two decades. When he hired John Henry Nash to run the new in-house printing shop in 1903, it was christened "The Tomoye Press".
Although it is unknown why Elder chose the tomoyé, he likely wanted to emphasize the connection between the Orient and his own book arts. Some of Elder’s many tomoyé marks are shown on the left and right.
Copyright (c) 2008 by David Mostardi. All rights reserved.