A Sharingan with three tomoe.
A tomoe or the archaic writing tomoye (巴) is a Japanese abstract shape, usually used as a necklace, (i.e. a swirl) that resembles a comma or the usual form of magatama. Tomoe are usually seen in a design of three known as mitsudomoe (三つ巴).
Instances of Use
Canon Uses
- They form the pattern of the Sharingan.
- They form the Cursed Seal of Heaven.
- They are a part of the Ten-Tails' eye design.
- They are on Madara Uchiha's gunbai.
- The three giant snakes have tomoe markings on their heads.
- Orochimaru himself wore blue tomoe-shaped earrings.
- The magatama earrings worn by Itachi's Susanoo are in the shape of tomoe.
- The Yasaka Magatama technique used by Itachi and Madara's Susanoo is a giant shuriken in the shape of a mitsudomoe.
- All the variations of Nine-Tails Chakra Mode shrouds feature tomoe-like markings around their collars.[1][2]
- The Sage of the Six Paths had tomoe-like markings around the collar of his cloak as well as nine tomoe of the back underneath the symbol of the Rinnegan; the same holds true for both Obito and Madara Uchiha afte they became the Ten-Tails' jinchūriki.[3]
- A seal that the Sage of the Six Paths stood in the middle of while talking to the nine tailed beasts also featured the use of tomoe markings.[4]
- After transplanting Itachi's eyes, Sasuke has used his Susanoo to fire tomoe-shaped projectiles made of Amaterasu's flames.[5]
- The holes for eyes in Tobi's mask during the Fourth Shinobi World War are tomoe-shaped.[6]
- There are tomoe-shaped markings around the kanji for "fox" in the Uchiha Hideout.[7]
Non-canon Uses
- The Kohaku clan's insignia is a futatsudomoe (tomoe in a design of two), while the Shirogane clan's is a golden mitsudomoe.
- In the anime, later depictions of Pakura's Scorch Release: Extremely Steaming Murder changed the flaming orbs into flaming tomoe shapes.[8]