Hikone Tachibana T-Shirt

The Hikone Tachibana crest is the standard crest of the Ii family, who ruled over 250,000 koku in Hikone, Omi Province. The Ii family resided in Ii Valley in Totomi Province for generations and took their name from the place. They are descended from the Fujiwara clan, with their ancestor being Tomosuke, a sixth-generation descendant of Fujiwara no Fuyutsugu, a Minister of the Left during the Heian period. Tomosuke had only daughters, so he searched for a worthy son-in-law and found a child prodigy at the Hachiman shrine in Ii Valley, whom he adopted as his son, Yasumori. The Ii family's crests are known as 'Iigeta' and 'Tachibana', both of which are tied to the legend of Yasumori's birth. According to the legend, the shrine priest found a boy shining like a jewel in a well, and the 'Iigeta' crest was adopted as a flag emblem. Another legend states that an orange tree was found near the well when Yasumori was born, and the priest used the Tachibana crest on Yasumori's clothing. The Tachibana crest has been used by the Ii family ever since. However, the truth of these legends is uncertain.