The Kirin logo is one of the most recognizable brand marks in the global beverage industry. It features a mythical creature from East Asian folklore, the kirin (known as qilin in Chinese), which has appeared on Kirin Beer labels since the brand launched in 1888. The logo represents more than a beer brand. It carries centuries of cultural weight, blending Japanese brewing heritage with a creature that stands for good fortune.
Kirin Brewery Company is part of Kirin Holdings, which was set up as a holding company in 2007, and Kirin is a core member of the Mitsubishi Group. The brewery traces its origins to the Japan Brewery Company, founded in Yokohama in July 1885 on the site of the earlier Spring Valley Brewery. The label has gone through multiple refinements across more than 130 years. And yet, the core image, that galloping mythical beast, has only been set aside once, during the war years.
What Is the Kirin Brewery Logo?
The Kirin logo is a combination mark: a galloping kirin, a mythical hooved chimera, above bold serif “KIRIN” lettering. The creature first appeared on Kirin Beer in 1888, and the large-kirin label still used today dates from 1889. No designer is officially credited; recent Kirin Lager label renewals were handled by creative director Kashiwa Sato.
| Symbol | The kirin (qilin), a mythical chimera with a dragon-like head, scaled body, flowing mane and hooves |
| Designer/agency | Original artist not publicly confirmed; Kashiwa Sato for the Kirin Lager label renewals (2020 and the one ten years earlier) |
| Current version since | Large-kirin layout since 1889; Kirin Lager label renewed by Kashiwa Sato in 2020 |
| Colors (hex) | Approx. #BEA34A antique gold, #FFD64E yellow, #FAF3E1 cream and #E43640 red, sampled from the Kirin Ichiban mark, plus black |
| Typeface | Custom bold serif lettering; no commercial font is credited |
| Previous major version | The 1888 launch label with a smaller kirin; wartime “Beer” labels without the kirin (1943–1949) |
Design Type: Combination mark (illustrated creature with wordmark)
Primary Elements: The centerpiece is a kirin in mid-gallop. It has a dragon-like head, a flowing mane, a scale-covered body and hooved legs, and trails wisps of flame. On the Kirin Ichiban version, the kanji 麒 and 麟 sit on either side of the creature. Below it sits the brand name “KIRIN” (or “KIRIN ICHIBAN” on the flagship export product) in uppercase serif lettering.
Trademark Status: The kirin and the KIRIN name are registered trademarks of Kirin Holdings Company, Limited.
Usage Context: Beer bottles, cans, kegs, draft dispensers, point-of-sale materials, merchandise, digital platforms and packaging design across Kirin’s beer lines.
How Has the Kirin Logo Evolved Over Time?
The Kirin label has been refined many times since 1888, but almost every version keeps the mythical kirin as its anchor. The big changes came early: the creature was enlarged in 1889, dropped during World War II, and restored in 1949. Since then, updates have been careful redraws rather than reinventions.
Original Kirin Beer Label (1888)
Years Active: 1888 to 1889
Japan Brewery Company launched its German-style lager under the Kirin Beer name in May 1888, with Meidi-ya as its exclusive distributor. That first label already carried a kirin, but the creature was drawn smaller than on later labels.
The choice of animal is usually explained this way: imported Western beers often carried animals on their labels, and Mitsubishi executive Shoda Heigoro, an early shareholder, is said to have suggested an auspicious creature from East Asian legend instead. It gave the beer an identity that felt local to Japanese drinkers while standing apart from imported brands.
The color palette and typography were ornamental and typical of 19th-century beer labels.
The 1889 Large-Kirin Label (1889–1943)
Years Active: 1889 to 1943
One year after launch, the label was redesigned so the kirin became much larger and dominated the label. Japanese accounts credit Japan Brewery director Thomas Blake Glover with proposing the change. The illustration is sometimes attributed to lacquer artist Rokkaku Shisui, but that attribution has never been confirmed.
This 1889 layout is the prototype for the Kirin Lager label still sold today.
Kirin Brewery Company was established in February 1907 and took over the business, with backing from the Mitsubishi side. The label carried on through the change.
Wartime “Beer” Labels (1943–1949)
Years Active: 1943 to 1949
In March 1943, under wartime controls, beer brand trademarks were abolished and labels were unified to read simply “Beer.” For six years the kirin disappeared from the bottle. This is the only period in which the creature was not the face of the beer.
Kirin Lager Label (1949–Present)
Years Active: December 1949 to present
In December 1949 the company revived the Kirin Beer trademark, and the kirin came back. In the following decades Kirin became Japan’s dominant brewer: it was number one by 1954 with a 37.1% share and held around 60% of the domestic market by the mid-1960s, a level it kept into the 1980s.
The label stayed close to the 1889 layout throughout. Redraws cleaned up the linework so the creature reproduced reliably on bottle labels, cans and signage. The most recent renewals of Kirin Lager were led by creative director Kashiwa Sato, who designed the label for the 2020 renewal as he had ten years earlier, aiming for a more premium look.
Kirin Ichiban Shibori Logo (1990–Present)
Years Active: 1990 to present
Kirin introduced Ichiban Shibori, its “first press” beer, in 1990. Exported as Kirin Ichiban, it now carries the version of the logo most people outside Japan know: a gold and yellow kirin with black detailing and a red underbelly, the kanji 麒麟 on either side, a “SPECIAL PREMIUM RESERVE” arch above, and “KIRIN ICHIBAN” in bold black serif capitals on a gold banner, with 一番搾り below.
Regional packaging has been updated several times. In Australia, Lion Nathan relaunched the brand in 2007 with blue-and-white packaging and Japanese calligraphy, and in the UK, Charles Wells rolled out a new Kirin Ichiban draught font in 2006. The creature itself was refined rather than replaced.
That’s the thing with Kirin’s logo. It never threw out the original concept. It just kept sharpening it.
What Do the Design Elements of the Kirin Logo Mean?
Every part of the Kirin logo carries meaning rooted in East Asian mythology and deliberate brand positioning. In Chinese legend, the kirin is a benevolent creature whose appearance signals good fortune. The flames around it suggest a sacred, supernatural being. The warm color choices signal premium quality and heritage. Together, these elements create a visual hierarchy that draws the eye to the creature first, then to the brand name.
What Are the Kirin Logo Colors?
Kirin does not publish official hex, Pantone or CMYK values for the logo. The values below are approximations sampled from the current Kirin Ichiban mark, so treat them as close matches rather than brand specs.
Antique gold (approx. #BEA34A): Used for the wordmark banner and the shaded parts of the mane. Gold connects to ideas of premium quality and, in East Asian culture, prosperity, which fits the creature’s role as a sign of good fortune.
Yellow (approx. #FFD64E): The bright highlight color of the mane and flames. The psychological impact of color here is direct: warmth, richness and energy. It separates Kirin from competitors who lean into blues, greens or silvers. Screen and print versions shift slightly because RGB and CMYK reproduce gold differently.
Black: Used for outlines, the “KIRIN ICHIBAN” lettering and the detail work on the scales. Black adds authority and grounds the warmer tones.
Cream (approx. #FAF3E1): A soft background tone that keeps the gold from feeling too heavy.
Red (approx. #E43640): Appears on the creature’s underbelly, linking Kirin to other brands that use red to signal energy. These analogous warm tones work together as one rich palette.
What Font Is Used in the Kirin Logo?
The Kirin logo uses custom bold, all-caps serif lettering rather than a named commercial typeface. Kirin has not credited a font, and the letterforms appear to be drawn for the brand. The strokes are thick, the serifs are sharp, and the letters are wide and evenly spaced.
The serifs give a traditional feel, which suits a brand that dates back to 1888. On the Ichiban mark, the letter spacing is generous so the name stays readable on bottle necks and small cans. The Ichiban mark also adds Japanese text, 一番搾り, below the wordmark. If you need a similar look for a mockup, any heavy, wide serif in all caps will get you close, but it will not be an exact match.
What Are the Hidden Meanings in the Kirin Logo?
Here’s the one that catches most people off guard. If you examine the mane of the kirin closely, the katakana characters for “ki,” “ri” and “n” (キリン) are hidden in the flowing hair. Kirin says the hidden letters have appeared on labels since 1933, and that nobody knows for sure why: it may have been a designer’s bit of fun, or a guard against counterfeits.
The creature’s mustache is another talking point. A popular story links it to Thomas Blake Glover’s own facial hair, but no company record confirms that, so treat it as folklore.
The mid-gallop pose is the other deliberate choice. It gives the illustration a strong sense of movement and suggests forward motion and energy, while the flames around the body mark the kirin as a sacred creature rather than an ordinary animal.
How Does the Kirin Logo Compare to Competitor Logos?
The Kirin logo occupies a unique spot among global beer brand logos. Most major breweries use abstract marks, text-based designs or simple animal symbols. Kirin’s detailed mythological illustration stands apart.
The Asahi logo is a clean, modern wordmark. Sapporo goes with its star emblem. Both are much simpler.
Among Western competitors, Guinness relies on its harp symbol, which carries historical weight similar to Kirin’s creature. Stella Artois uses a detailed crest, but it leans European rather than mythological. Heineken keeps things simple with its red star and green palette.
The Singha beer logo is probably the closest comparison. It also features a mythological creature from Asian folklore. But where Singha’s lion-like creature feels static and heraldic, Kirin’s beast is dynamic and in motion.
Corona’s branding takes a completely different approach with a crown flanked by griffins. Carlsberg keeps its visual identity text-forward. And Budweiser focuses on its bowtie shape and red colorway.
What makes Kirin’s approach unusual is the level of illustrative detail. Most beer brands have simplified their logos over the past few decades. Kirin kept the complexity and just cleaned up the execution, with the creature sitting in proportion to a wordmark that stays legible. That takes confidence.
What Cultural Impact Has the Kirin Logo Had?
The Kirin logo has done something few corporate symbols manage. It has kept a mythological creature visible in everyday life for well over a century.
For millions of people, the kirin on a beer bottle or can, the focal point of the label, is their main exposure to this figure from East Asian legend. The creature traditionally appears in temple carvings and classical art. Kirin put it on a product that sits on convenience store shelves and bar counters in dozens of countries.
The hidden katakana letters in the mane have become a pop culture talking point. People share them on social media the way they share the arrow in the FedEx logo or the bear in the Toblerone mountain. In 2019, manga artist Hiro Mashima even drew the creature live for Kirin, and coverage of the drawing pointed out the hidden キリン letters.
In modern Japanese, the word “kirin” also means giraffe, which adds another layer of overlap. The brewery itself is named after the mythical creature, not the animal.
How Does the Kirin Logo Fit Into the Overall Brand Identity?
The kirin anchors a group that stretches across beer, soft drinks, pharmaceuticals (through Kyowa Kirin) and health science. Kirin Holdings uses a simpler corporate wordmark for business communications. The detailed creature shows up mainly on beer packaging, with Kirin Lager and Ichiban Shibori carrying the most elaborate versions.
Kirin keeps the creature consistent across markets while local partners adjust bottles, labels and draught fonts. Strong brand guidelines are what make that possible: the packaging around the kirin can change, but the creature itself stays recognizable from Tokyo to London.
For a company that competes with sleek modern brands in the wider beverage market, keeping an intricate mythological illustration as the core identity is a bold choice. It works because it’s so different from everything else out there. You see the kirin and you know exactly what brand you’re looking at.
How Should the Kirin Logo Be Used?
This is general advice, not Kirin’s own rulebook. Kirin Holdings owns the kirin creature and the KIRIN wordmark as trademarks, so commercial use, such as merchandise, packaging or advertising, needs permission from the company.
For editorial use, like a news story or a design article, show the logo as it appears on the product. Use clean vector files or high-quality images where possible, and don’t redraw, recolor or distort the creature. Never present the mark in a way that suggests Kirin endorses your content.
FAQ on the Kirin Logo
What does the Kirin logo represent?
The Kirin logo shows a mythical creature from East Asian folklore called the kirin (qilin in Chinese). In legend, its appearance signals good fortune. The creature has been on Kirin Beer labels since the brand launched in 1888.
Why is there a dragon on the Kirin beer label?
It’s not a dragon. The creature is a kirin, a chimera with a dragon-like head, a scaled body, a flowing mane and hooves, often shown surrounded by flames. Imported Western beers often used animals on labels, and Kirin chose an auspicious creature from East Asian legend instead.
Are there hidden letters in the Kirin logo?
Yes. The katakana characters キリン (ki, ri, n) are hidden in the creature’s mane. Kirin says they have appeared on labels since 1933, and the reason for hiding them is not known for sure.
What colors are used in the Kirin logo?
The Kirin Ichiban mark uses antique gold (approx. #BEA34A), yellow (approx. #FFD64E), black, cream (approx. #FAF3E1) and a red accent (approx. #E43640). Kirin does not publish official color codes, so these values are sampled from the logo. Its gold tones are the dominant color.
When was the Kirin logo first created?
The kirin first appeared on Kirin Beer in 1888, when Japan Brewery Company launched the beer in Yokohama. In 1889 the label was redesigned with a much larger kirin, and that layout is the prototype for today’s Kirin Lager label.
Who designed the Kirin logo?
The original artist has not been confirmed. Mitsubishi executive Shoda Heigoro is said to have suggested the kirin, Thomas Blake Glover proposed enlarging it in 1889, and the drawing is sometimes attributed to Rokkaku Shisui without proof. Creative director Kashiwa Sato designed the recent Kirin Lager label renewals, including the 2020 one.
What font does the Kirin logo use?
Kirin uses custom bold, all-caps serif lettering, not a named commercial font. No typeface has been credited. A heavy, wide serif in capitals gets close for mockups, but it won’t be an exact match.
What did the old Kirin logo look like?
The 1888 label showed a smaller kirin in an ornate 19th-century layout. From 1889 the creature became much larger. Between 1943 and 1949, wartime rules replaced brand labels with plain “Beer” labels, so the kirin disappeared until the trademark was revived in December 1949.
How has the Kirin logo changed over the years?
The big changes came early: the 1889 enlargement, the 1943–1949 wartime break and the 1949 revival. Since then, updates have been redraws of the same creature, with a new Ichiban Shibori version from 1990 and Kirin Lager renewals led by Kashiwa Sato.
What is the difference between the Kirin Lager and Kirin Ichiban logos?
Both feature the kirin. Kirin Lager follows the 1889 label layout, while the Kirin Ichiban mark adds a “SPECIAL PREMIUM RESERVE” arch, the kanji 麒麟 beside the creature, a gold “KIRIN ICHIBAN” banner and the Japanese text 一番搾り.
Who owns Kirin beer?
Kirin beer is made by Kirin Brewery Company, part of Kirin Holdings Company, Limited, which became a holding company in 2007. Kirin is a core member of the Mitsubishi Group. The business traces back to Japan Brewery Company, founded in Yokohama in 1885.
Is the Kirin logo trademarked?
Yes. The kirin creature and the “KIRIN” wordmark are registered trademarks of Kirin Holdings Company, Limited. Commercial use needs the company’s permission.
Conclusion
The Kirin logo has survived more than 130 years of beer industry shifts without losing its identity. That’s rare for any corporate emblem, let alone one built around a mythological chimera.
From its roots at the Japan Brewery Company in Yokohama to its current place on Kirin Lager and Kirin Ichiban worldwide, the design has stayed loyal to the 1889 concept. The creature got cleaner. The brand style got tighter. But the spirit never changed.
Few high-contrast beer label designs carry this much cultural depth. The hidden katakana, the sacred flames, the qilin legend. It all adds up to a brand identity that competitors simply can’t replicate.
Sources
- Kirin Holdings, Timeline of History 1885–1949 – https://www.kirinholdings.com/en/company/history/1885_1949/
- Wikipedia, Kirin Company – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kirin_Company
- Funding Universe, Kirin Brewery Company, Limited History – https://www.fundinguniverse.com/company-histories/kirin-brewery-company-limited-history/
- Nihon Shokuryo Shimbun, Kirin Lager label renewal (2020) – https://news.nissyoku.co.jp/?p=659412
- The Dieline, Kirin (Lion Nathan packaging, 2010) – https://thedieline.com/blog/2010/1/18/kirin.html
- The Morning Advertiser, Kirin pours on with new font (2006) – https://www.morningadvertiser.co.uk/Article/2006/01/10/Kirin-pours-on-with-new-font/
- ITmedia Nlab, Hiro Mashima draws Kirin’s sacred kirin – https://nlab.itmedia.co.jp/cont/articles/3291246/
Renowned for his expertise in logo design and visual branding, Bogdan has developed a multitude of logos for various clients.
His skills extend to creating posters, vector illustrations, business cards, and brochures. Additionally, Bogdan's UI kits were featured on marketplaces like Visual Hierarchy and UI8.
He also wrote in the past years on sites like Design Your Way, WebDesignerDepot, WPDean, Designmodo, Speckyboy, Slider Revolution, and more.
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Bogdan Sandu is a seasoned designer who has been designing websites since 2008. Renowned for his expertise in logo design and visual branding, Bogdan has developed a multitude of logos for various clients. His skills extend to creating posters, vector illustrations, business cards, and brochures. Additionally, Bogdan's UI kits were featured on marketplaces like Visual Hierarchy and UI8. He also wrote in the past years on sites like Design Your Way, WebDesignerDepot, WPDean, Designmodo, Speckyboy, Slider Revolution, and more.
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