- Subaru’s six-star blue logo links to Pleiades and mythic origins.
- Central star represents Fuji Heavy Industries; the five smaller stars symbolize the merged firms.
- Fuji Aircraft Company; Omiya Fuji Industrial; Utsunomiya Dai-ichi Kogy; Tokyo Fuji Sangyo; Fuji Heavy Industries.
- Blue background denotes Pleiades’ bluish-white, high-temperature stars; emblem unchanged since 1958.
Subaru is more than a mere name in the automotive industry—it is a fascinating story that connects astronomy with Japanese corporate history. The company was the first automaker to use a Japanese name and established a universal brand identity through the worldwide use of its distinctive six-star emblem.
This emblem has become a global symbol of the brand’s heritage and technical ethos.
Origin of the Subaru name and its link to astronomy
Mythology behind the stars
According to Greek legends, the seven stars represented the daughters of the titan Atlas:
- Alcyone
- Asterope
- Merope
- Maia
- Taygeta
- Celaeno
- Electra
These names are not merely astronomical designations; they carry millennia of stories about deities and heroes from ancient myth.
Why only 6 stars in the logo, not 7?
A logical question that arises is: if the Pleiades constellation has seven main stars, why does Subaru’s logo show six? The answer lies in how the human eye perceives these celestial bodies.
When we view the Pleiades with the naked eye, without telescopes or binoculars, the cluster appears to have only six visible stars. This phenomenon occurs because two of the stars are so close together that they seem to form a single larger and brighter star.
The symbolism of ‘unifying the stars’
This astronomical peculiarity led the Pleiades to be known for the concept of ‘unifying the stars’ — a feature that fit Subaru’s corporate philosophy perfectly.
Corporate significance of the six stars
In Subaru’s logo, each star has a precise meaning tied to the company’s history:
Central large star
Represents Fuji Heavy Industries (FHI), the parent company that founded and developed the Subaru brand to its current international renown. FHI laid the technological and strategic foundations of the brand.
The five smaller stars
Symbolize the five distinct companies that merged to form Fuji Heavy Industries:
- Fuji Aircraft Company
- Fuji Heavy Industries
- Omiya Fuji Industrial
- Utsunomiya Dai-ichi Kogy
- Tokyo Fuji Sangyo
This fusion marked a crucial moment in postwar Japanese industry, when companies reorganized to survive and thrive.
Visual elements of the emblem
The blue color
The emblem’s background is almost always blue, a choice that is far from accidental. The color reflects the bluish-white hue of the Pleiades stars as they appear in deep space. Scientifically, this shade indicates the high temperature of these young, massive stars.
Global consistency
Subaru’s emblem has remained unchanged and consistently used worldwide since 1958, underscoring the brand’s ongoing and global unity. This visual consistency has helped the brand achieve instant recognition across international markets.
Impact on the automotive industry
Subaru became the first Japanese automaker to build its brand identity around an astronomical and mythological concept, creating a unique emotional connection with consumers. This innovative approach influenced many Asian companies to begin shaping their own brand identities for global markets.
Philosophy of unity
The main message conveyed by the logo is unity in diversity — multiple distinct entities coming together to form something stronger and brighter. This philosophy is reflected in Subaru’s technical approach, which combines innovations from multiple fields to create distinctive vehicles.
The story behind Subaru’s logo shows that in the auto industry symbols are not merely decorative elements; they carry complex histories that shape a brand’s identity and values. For automotive enthusiasts, understanding these details offers a deeper perspective on the brands they admire.
