In western society
culture we are accustomed to using signatures to authorise a payment, enter a
contract, or simply just to declare that you have received that package you
have been waiting for from the courier at your doorstep. And if you’re a
business man or woman chances are you are familiar with business stamps containing
a whole lot of general information about the company name, contact details,
address etc. But did you know that in Japan, the use of stamps are a mandatory
replacement of the traditional signature?
The use of a personal
name stamp called Hanko is common practice for all Japanese who are signing an
official document. The term, meaning ‘seal’ is interchangeably used with Inkan
– which also roughly translates to stamp or ‘seal’. So how did this all come
about? In old times, the government enforced the law to use the seal without
signing because some people were illiterate.
Getting your hands
on a Hanko is quite easy as they are available from the 100 Yen store – don’t
worry 100 Yen is just over one Australian Dollar. The Inkan is a stamp of the
holders’ surname – mandatory for the Japanese. And it’s for this reason that
you can obtain one in the 100 Yen store – because there are a lot of common
last names. Custom-made Inkan can be made for those who can’t find what they’re
looking for (which is basically their name). Weird right? But hey! Don’t forget
that in Australia we can buy novelty plates with common names on them from the
local news agency.
If you’re asking
yourself how can buying a cheap signature stamp be as assuring as a unique, traditional
identifying signature? Rest assured because more important documents require
more identifying information alongside your Inkan. If you plan to visit Japan
for the short-term, you don’t need a Hanko and can sign instead. But as the
saying goes…monkey see, monkey do!
If you wold like to
read more about the uses of the Hanko/Inkan check out the links below.
- http://jpninfo.com/15311
- https://japan-cc.com/hanko.htm
- http://www.thejapanguy.com/what-is-a-hanko-what-is-an-inkan/
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