The City Symbol
In 1907 the City
conducted a study to find a symbol for the city and asked various organizations
for a design. Finally in October 1907 the "Maru-hachi" (Circle eight) symbol
was adopted by a vote in the City Assembly. It is said that this "figure
8 in a circle" was used by the Owari Tokugawa clan as a seal. Since then
it has been a symbol of Nagoya's unlimited progression into the future
and it can be found on the carriages of the subway trains, the City flag,
the city buses and so on. It is familiar to citizens all over Nagoya.