Genji wheel earrings

The wheel crest is said to have been around since ancient times. It appears in written records in the Nihon Shoki, where it seems to have been used by the emperor. By the Nara period, cargo carts were also in use, and these were used by commoners as well. They often appear in emakimono picture scrolls, and in the Heian period, many were ox-drawn gyusha carts used by nobility. The design of the wheel crest is based on these ox carts. The wheel crest became established as a family crest at the beginning of the Kamakura period. Before the Edo period, the wheel crest was also known as the Genji wheel crest. The Genji wheel is the imperial carriage that appears frequently in The Tale of Genji Emaki. Other wheel crests include water wheels and windmills, but the Genji wheel is by far the most common, to the point where it is almost synonymous with the wheel crest. (from 'Family Crests: The More You Know' by Danwa Motoji)