A tomoe in Japan is a comma shaped symbol in Japanese culture that in family crests, art and also religious iconography.
The tomoe symbol in Japan is also thought to have originated from ancient magatama jewels and is also associated with spirituality, representing concepts like heaven, harmony, earth as well as humanity, or even past, future and present.
The most common form is the mitsudomoe, which features 3 swirling commas.
The tomoe symbol likely developed from the magatama, comma shaped jewels used in ancient Japan from around 1000 BCE to 300 BCE.
It's also often seen as representing a connection between earth, heaven and humanity, or the relationship between the body, the mind and spirit.
And it's swirling motion is also often interpreted as a sign of harmony.
The usage of tomoe includes Heraldry, Religion, Mythology and even given as a name in Japan and can refer to other things, like a train station or a specific character in a fictional work.
In Heraldry, tomoe is used in kamon, or family crests, for samurai clans and other families.
In religion, tomoe is prominent in Shinto Buddhist art, with variations that are found on temple tiles and in shrines.
The mitsudomoe is often associated with Shinto beliefs.
In Mythology, the tomoe symbol appears in various forms in popular culture, like in the Naruto manga and anime series.