Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo is a Japanese professional football club based in Sapporo, Hokkaido, competing in the J1 League. The club’s visual identity centers on a shield-shaped emblem featuring the Blakiston’s fish owl, a bird native to Hokkaido and the largest owl species in Japan. The club’s official website describes the emblem as a symbolic rendering of this owl, with its wings spread at the top of the shield. [1]
Design and History
The current emblem dates to 2016, when the club changed its name from Consadole Sapporo to Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo. The rebranding added the word “HOKKAIDO” to the existing design, a minor update rather than a full redesign. [2]
The owl-based emblem itself was introduced in 1997, the club’s second year after relocating to Sapporo. That year, the club overhauled its visual identity, expanding its team colors from red and black to include white and blue-gray, and adopted the Blakiston’s fish owl as both the club mascot and the central motif of a new emblem. [2]
Before 1997, the club used an emblem inherited from its predecessor, the Toshiba Soccer Club, which had used red and black as corporate colors. In 1996, the first year as Consadole Sapporo, the club continued using the Toshiba-derived design. [2]
Meaning and Symbolism
The club’s official website documents the emblem’s symbolism in detail. Within the shield, eleven stars represent the eleven united players on the pitch. The owl’s piercing gaze symbolizes fighting spirit, and white stripes represent a blizzard, conveying attacking intent. The design is rooted in a ribbon arc that signifies the home town. [1]
The club’s primary colors are red and black, with the emblem featuring the Blakiston’s fish owl motif. [3] The team name “Consadole” derives from “Dosanko,” a Japanese term for people of Hokkaido, read in reverse with the Spanish exclamation “Ole” appended. [4]
Typography and Design
In 2025, the club’s uniform design was handled by Yosuke Aizawa, who serves as the club’s creative director. Aizawa, known for his work shown at Paris Fashion Week, designed the 2025 uniforms. [3] This attribution applies to the uniform design rather than the emblem itself, which predates Aizawa’s involvement with the club.
Logo Index is an independent educational archive covering logos, visual identities and graphic design history. All trademarks and brand assets remain the property of their respective owners.
