Mito HollyHock is a Japanese professional football club based in Mito, Ibaraki Prefecture. The club’s visual identity is built around a circular emblem featuring the “Mitsuba-aoi” (triple hollyhock) crest of the Mito Tokugawa clan, surrounded by a dragon. The club name “HollyHock” itself derives from the English word for the hollyhock flower, referencing the Mito Tokugawa family’s kamon (family crest).[1]
Design and History
The club emblem is a circular design built around two central motifs: the “Mitsuba-aoi” (triple hollyhock) crest used by the Mito domain, and a dragon encircling it. The dragon derives from “Shiryū” (子龍), the azana (courtesy name) of Tokugawa Mitsukuni, the second lord of the Mito domain, popularly known as “Mito Kōmon.”[1] The club mascot, Holly-kun, is also based on the same dragon motif.[1]
The current club logo has been in use since the club’s entry into the J2 League in 2000.[2] In 2024, the club’s 30th anniversary year, an internal project was launched to refresh the club logo. After more than two years of discussion, three candidate designs were presented under the concept of “growth”: “GEOMETRY,” “Re:VIEW,” and “AOI.”[3] A web vote held from March 27 to April 1, 2026, selected “GEOMETRY” with 42.3% of the votes.[3] The new logo is scheduled to be introduced from the start of the 2026-27 season in July 2026, with the old logo used until the end of June.[4]
Alongside the new logo, the club announced a minor adjustment to the existing club emblem: the word “HOLLYHOCK” within the emblem was changed from a two-word “HOLLY HOCK” spacing to a formal one-word “HOLLYHOCK” notation.[4] The club president stated that the emblem design itself, featuring the Mitsuba-aoi and dragon, would not be changed.[5]
Meaning and Symbolism
The club’s official profile lists its club color as blue, described as “the deep blue of the club logo and the blue of the aoi (hollyhock).”[6] The club name “HollyHock” means “aoi” (hollyhock) in English and derives from the Mitsuba-aoi crest of the Mito Tokugawa family.[1] The dragon element in the emblem references Tokugawa Mitsukuni’s courtesy name “Shiryū.”[1]
In 2021, the club introduced gold as an accent color in its uniforms, described as a nod to tradition, referencing the Mitsuba-aoi and dragon origins of the emblem, while the deep blue of the emblem remained the base club color.[7]
The new “GEOMETRY” logo, selected in 2026, is described by the club as “a design of individuality and harmony drawn by the differences in the shapes of circles, triangles, and squares,” expressing the “growth trajectory” of the club’s 30-year history.[3]
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