How to choose and make a personal seal
Even though we simply call them "personal seals," there are actually many different types of personal seals.
Commonly used personal seals include those that require an ink pad and those that are self-inking...
Then there are bank seals, official seals, and correction seals used for work.
The type of seal you use depends on its intended purpose, such as rubber stamps for addresses and names, or corporate seals and square seals used by companies and corporations.
When you visit our store, please let us know what kind of seal you would like to have made, and we will recommend the most suitable seal for you.
However, we believe that if you become a little more familiar with the process beforehand, you will be able to place your order with greater confidence, so we will provide a brief explanation.
印鑑を作るには、お客様がお決めになる項目が４点あります
１. 使 用 目 的
２.サ イ ズ
３.材 料
４.書 体
1. Purpose of use (Type of seal)
• When purchasing a car or a house, I was asked to bring my personal seal.
• When I borrowed money from the bank to buy a car or a house, I was told to bring my personal seal.
• I was told that a seal is needed to stamp the inheritance documents.
• I was asked to bring my seal registration certificate when applying for a job, etc.
:
→This is my official seal .
• I was told it was necessary when opening an account at a financial institution such as a bank or post office.
:
→ This is a bank seal.
• When I got a job, I was told to bring a stamp that I could use to stamp documents repeatedly.
• I thought I needed a seal to stamp on the circulars that are passed around by the neighborhood association, etc.
:
→This will involve creating a personal seal or a Shachihata name stamp.
- A seal is required to mark the incorrect parts of the document.
:
→This will require you to create a correction stamp .
2. Size (diameter) of the seal
・Official seal
Just like health insurance cards and driver's licenses, it's desirable for the name of the person (given name) to be clearly visible (surname = family name), and since it's basically engraved with the full name, it's the largest personal seal.
bank seal
Most tattoos use either the last name or first name, and 12mm (or larger) is common for both men and women, although a slightly larger 13.5mm is recommended for men.
・Personal seal
Most people create their names using only their last name.
10.5mm is the standard size, but some people use the 12mm size when they hold a managerial position at work.
・Correction mark
Since it will be used in narrow spaces such as between lines of text, it will be made with a diameter of 6 mm.
女性は直径
13.5ミリや
15ミリ
男性は直径
15ミリや
16.5ミリ
女性は直径
12ミリ
が主流
男性は直径
12ミリや
13.5ミリ
直径
10.5ミリ
が主流
役職に就くと
直径12ミリ
が主流
3. Material of the seal
As you use a seal, it will gradually wear down, albeit very slightly. As the wear progresses, the frame and letters will become thicker, and the appearance may change from when you first started using it.
In particular, with official seals and bank seals, if the appearance of the seal changes too much when pressed onto paper, it may not be recognized as the same seal and could become unusable...
I recommend using materials that are as resistant to wear and tear as possible.
◆Ivory... High-quality seal material, resistant to wear (5 out of 5)
Because it is made from ivory, it is highly resistant to wear and tear, and if you use it several times a day like a personal seal, the impression will hardly change even after several decades.
Materials are categorized into different grades, and our store carries both (high-grade) and (medium-grade) materials.
◆Dutch buffalo horn...Resistance to wear and tear (4 out of 5)
Body hair and skin harden and stretch into fibers, so they will not break under normal use.
Furthermore, its fibrous texture is slightly translucent, making it very delicate and giving it the most beautiful appearance among all materials used for seals.
◆Black buffalo horn...Resistance to wear and tear (3.5 out of 5)
This is horn material from cattle used for plowing rice paddies in Southeast Asia.
It has the same properties as Dutch buffalo horn, but the material is not originally solid black and has a strong mottled pattern, which often makes it look less appealing, so it is dyed jet black.
If left unprocessed, the surface of a seal can dry out over time, becoming rough like dry hands. However, our store uses high-quality, further compressed materials, so the appearance of the seal remains unchanged even after many years of use.
◆Boxwood (Tsuge) ... Resistance to wear and tear (2 out of 5 levels)
It is the most suitable material for making seals among all types of wood.
It was suitable for intricate carving, and its fineness and flexibility were highly valued, leading to its use in small Buddhist statues and finely combed items.
However, it is somewhat less resistant to wear and tear compared to buffalo horn or ivory, so it is not particularly suitable for bank seals or official seals.
Due to its low cost, it is mainly used as a personal seal.
4. Font of the characters to be engraved
Personal seal / Correction seal
A font that makes it immediately clear who pressed the button is a good choice.
We recommend the following calligraphic styles: Koin-tai, Kaisho, Gyosho, and Reisho.
Official seal / Bank seal
This is the most important seal that we use as individuals.
The typeface is not a simple, easy-to-read style, but rather based on the seal script (tenshotai), which is the root of modern Chinese characters. An adapted version of this seal script, called the seal script (kissōtai), is also popular.
Seal script and seal script styles are recommended.
これでようやく印鑑を作ることができます！
といいつつ、このほかにケースを選んで頂いたりするわけですがとにかくここからスタートです。
あとは職人がお客様専用の 印鑑とするべく文字のバランスを整えて彫刻いたします。（納期は約１週間デス）