Our logo represents the Japanese phoenix, or Hou-ou. According to legend (mostly from China), the hou-ou appears very rarely, and only to mark the beginning of a new era. In other traditions, the Hou-ou appears only in peaceful and prosperous times and hides itself when there is trouble. As the herald of a new age, the Hou-ou decends from heaven to earth to do good deeds, and then it returns to its celestial abode to await a new era. It is both a symbol of peace (when the bird appears) and a symbol of disharmony (when the bird disappears).
