JAPANESE HANKO STAMP – THE MOST STYLISH SIGNATURE

Give me your autograph here, then your initials there.
Signature after signature, day after day, and so on.
An ordinary practice, part of anyone’s daily routine.

Are you really sure?

Our planet, you know, is full of mysterious places.
Each country has its own uniqueness, uses and habits.
It is also true that our world is a highly globalized place.
Processes that appear to work for a country might be used by many others as well.

But we know it very well.
Differences make the world such an intriguing place.
|| Difference = Uniqueness ||
|| Uniqueness = Value ||

Ok … But what does all this have to do with “signing documents”?

Now we get there.
Speaking of “original ways to validate a document”, there’s a country (actually more than one) where the act of “signing with a pen” is not enough to convert a stack of printed sheets into official documentation.

Needless to say …
Once again we are talking about Japan! 😁
(Where else ?!)

Here in Japan (plus few other eastern countries) this procedure follows interesting different rituals.

So? What happens in Japan?

All Japanese citizens have a personal collection of Hanko, specific tools used to validate all sorts of official documentation.

Still don’t know what I’m talking about?

Let’s make it easy.
Hanko is a small stamp, created with the only purpose of “being the official signature of its owner”. Sooner or later, every Japanese person comes into possession of it.

Yep! One stamp here, another just below and a last one at the bottom of this page.
And … boom! Your document is now validated!

Did I make it too simple?
Let’s dig into it.

Every Japanese adult owns (at least) 2 of them.
A casual one, for everyday uses.
A fancy one, for special events.

As I said, they have “at least 2”.
But someone has kind of a great collection, though.

Why that?
Because there are many kind of Hanko, each one with its own power to validate only a specific type of document.

And so?
What are these Hanko in the end?

Hanko (判 子) are small stamps with a carved customized signature. They’re used in Japan (and few other Asian countries) to officially validate different bureaucratic documents.

These Hanko stamps imprint on paper a colored mark (usually red).
The mark so “printed” by its hanko is called “Inkan” (印鑑).

Yes, I’ve called it a “stamp”, but don’t get me wrong. This Japanese tool shape is quite far from the classic rubber stamps design.
In this Japanese version, it’s usually a small cylinder with a round or square section, made (better to say “carved”) from different hard materials.

Each cylinder has indelibly engraved the name of the owner or the company / organization that uses the hanko.

Japanese artists for centuries have been marking their works with these same stamps. That’s how they create those famous bright red logos!

Yes! The same red (super cool) brand you have surely spot while browsing online. Perhaps while exploring the fascinating world of bonsai, or maybe when you first see the notorious Ukiyo-e art.

Ukiyo-e art by the majestic Hokusai sensei (his inkan on the bottom right side)

Once imprinted on a sheet, the red logo is called inkan.
It is usually square shaped, with the name (of its master) written in Kanji characters, carefully chosen for their particular sonority and meaning.

This bright red logo (inkan) represents the owner’s right to officially validate any documents.
A single hanko, owned by a single person, has its own unique logo, a brand that you can stamp only using that specific personalized Hanko.

I guess you’ve already understood how it works.

The marking process is intuitive and easy to make:

Congratulations!
Now you can satisfy your inner creative child, marking everything with your original (and super cool) red-flaming logo.

I was wondering who knows who was the first Japanese ever to use a hanko. Any idea where this habit comes up…?

Who hid the pens that day?

Today, very little has changed (at least until 2020, when the pandemic pushed Japan to start thinking a possible future without these small stamps).

For the time being, Japanese hanko are still needed for a variety of public transactions and bureaucratic operations.

Example.
Are you a resident in Japan and need to do your stuff at your bank?
If you want to do specific operations, you will have to use a hanko, a special one. A stamp created uniquely for that purpose, and officially registered at your bank.

Another usual “hanko situation” is at the post office.
But also in many workplaces (as you clock in).
It’s necessary even to validate marriage documents, car registrations, births and deaths certificates, and so on.

I could go on for a while.

In Japan, hanko have so many uses and each situation requires its own specific stamp.

We can divide these tools into 4 groups.
4 different Hanko, different in names and uses.

1. GINKOIN (銀行 印)
2. JITSUIN (実 印)
3. MITOMEIN (認 印)
4. SANMONBAN (三 文 判)

1. GINKOIN (銀行 印)
Japanese citizens need a Ginkoin to create and manage bank accounts or for other important monetary transitions.

2. JITSUIN (実 印)
It’s the One. The most important Japanese validation stamp.

It has to be registered in your public office, where all the info about your personal hanko are cataloged.
In addition might be necessary to make a certificate of registration for your signature stamp (called “inkan Shimesho”).

There are few situations where your Hanko signature is not accepted, until the certificate of authenticity of your stamp (Shimesho) is shown.

3. MITOMEIN (認 印)
The most generic among all Japanese hanko.
It covers a great variety of uses in everyday life.

4. SANMONBAN (三 文 判)
It is a ready-made stamp that can be purchased in various stores. these hanko are already imprinted with popular Japanese names.

A Sanmonban can be a life-saving tool for the bad day when:
You are late -> You leave in a hurry -> You forget your hanko on your kitchen table.

It is usually made of plastic or other “cheap” materials and certainly not handmade or handcrafted.

It is therefore the cheapest among all the hanko and you can found it in a self-inking version (Self-inking Sanmonban is called “Shachihata“).

The basic models of hanko (not handmade), can be purchased easily in many shops all around Japan for a modest sum (Base price around ¥ 500 around € 4.00 / $ 5.00). Some stores are specialize only in this entry level types of hanko.

On the one hand, we have these cheap simple stamps, on the other hand there is a big market of high quality handmade  hanko.
These high-end tools are different in material, design and price. For example, among the expensive pieces you can find stamps around 1000 dollars each (or more).

Quite a sum, no doubt!
But how is such a price possible?

Well, we are talking about handmade Hanko, made from high quality raw materials with excellent durability performance, artfully created by the skilled hands of a Japanese craftsman or a professional hanko engraver.

What materials are these luxury hanko made of?

Over time, hanko have been made with a myriad of different raw materials.

Wood, hard stone, ivory, deer horn, buffalo horn, crystal, jade.
Just to name a few.

Luxury raw materials with an elevate resistance, made to last (hopefully) for long time. Small treasures, handed down from generation to generation.

Speaking of this luxury hanko market.
Do you know what the recent trend is?

Titanium! An more and more popular material for the modern Japanese stamp makers. Strong, light enough and corrosion resistant.

What about you? Have you ever imagined how would your personal hanko stamp be?
What material would you choose for your hanko?

Because you know, you can buy your own cool stamp even if you are not Japanese.

Why should you buy it?
Nice question.

Well, either for official use (if you are a resident of Japan) or for recreational purposes, as an original souvenir or a mark to stamp as signature wherever you want (for example I use mine on the back of the photos I print, and on my sketches and drawings).

 

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A post shared by Jacopo [ヤコポ] Pericati (@dromediary)

The one in the picture is the only hanko I personally engraved. 😎
I was under the supervision of Naoto Sensei, a Hanko craftsman from Kofu (Yamanashi, Japan). In the photo he is refining my not-so-bad work. The 3 characters “YA – KO – PO”　(ヤコポ) are written in Katakana alphabet (the one Japanese people uses to write foreign names / words).

Foreigners does not have precise rules when choosing the name to be imprinted on their hanko. I mean, of course there’s your name on it. But you can choose to imprint (on your custom Japanese hanko seal) the first name only, the surname only, or even both.

Which Japanese alphabet should you use then?

Do you remember? In Japan there are 3 main alphabets.
Hiragana, Katakana, Kanji.

When your personalized hanko is a simple (but super-cool) souvenir from Japan, you can obviously choose your favorite name and alphabet.

If you live (or you’re planning to move) in Japan, well… that’s a different story.

If you wanna live there, remember this.
Many local government offices do not accept Hanko for foreigners when they are written in Hiragana alphabet (or in Rōmaji, which is the Japanese name for our Latin alphabet).

Avoid any mistake!

When you order an hanko online or if you buy one from a Japanese hanko maker or craftsman, remember to ask for a signature in Katakana or Kanji alphabet.

They have scrupulous nature, the hanko artisans, better not to surprise them.
After all, they condense all their experience into a series of small, artfully made engravings. They must be scrupulous and obsessed with details, from the beginning till the very last finishing touch.

After testing it with my own hands, I can say it with no doubts.
Sculpting the surface of a hanko is not really an easy task.

It requires an excellent knowledge of the raw materials and a degree of absolute precision and concentration. Strong skills that only an experienced Japanese Hanko artisan can embody.

There are stamps so beautifully decorated to be considered real works of art.

Are you not convinced yet?

Just try to think that the engraving space on the Hanko small face measures no more than 10 to 15 mm (0.4-0.6 inches).
The Hanko artisan must work within this small area.
A truly meticulous task!

But that’s not all.

What most affects the final quality of an hanko seal above all, is the precision and homogeneity of the carved lines.

Then of course do not forget a look to the design, because each hanko maker has his own style.
A well made Japanese Hanko is harmonious and balanced. Letters and design must be dynamic and strongly expressive. Click To Tweet

On each stamp, the Kanji characters appear intricate and not exactly easy to read. It might appear like a mistake … but the graphic complexity is actually a key factor to prevent the creation of fake seals.

Think about your house key: the more elaborate it is, the higher the security level.

The face of an hanko is not the only creative element.

Even the “handle” of the stamp can vary in shape and complexity of the engravings, making these small works of art look even more artsy.
An highly decorated handle is a clear indication of the authority and prestige of the owner.

Times change, everything is going digital, but hanko seals are still essential in Japanese culture.

Recently, new digital toys (digital electronic hanko) are emerging, they could surely solve some limitations of their predecessors.
But let’s face it, they have nothing to do with real analogic hanko, specifically handcrafted by an experienced Japanese craftsman.

The gratification after using these traditional Japanese tools (following the good old rituals) is something that cannot be digitized! Click To Tweet In conclusion, what is a Hanko in the end?
Hanko is art in red and white!
A tiny representation of that authentic Japanese sense of beauty.

Domo Arigatō 🙏
Thanks for reading.
Did you like this Hanko story,
share it to a friend who loves Japan!

Written by: Dromediary