This morning, David was looking for an inkan, a traditional Japanese name seal. These are used on documents instead of a signature or in addition to a signature.
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| A couple of the inkans that I have |
The idea of using seals came to Japan through China and Korea. The oldest known Japanese seal is a gold seal given by the Chinese Han emperor in 57AD to a Kyushu ruler.
During the Edo period (1603 to 1868), merchants and some farmers began using them. It wasn't until the Meiji era that the modern inkan system became formalised, and people were required to register personal seal for legal use. That system is still in place; you have to register your personal seal at the city hall. For some legal documents, you need a certificate, called "inkan shomeisho", to show that the inkan you are using is yours. This is required for certain loans, high-value purchases or legally binding transactions.
The inkan is seen as being more formal, trustworthy and serious. Many documents will have a circle where you are to place your stamp.
I've never understood the need for inkan. I feel that a signature is a better way of showing your identity. It's harder to forge a signature than to steal an inkan. A few years ago, there was a spate of robberies near where we lived. In most cases, the person's bank books and inkan were stolen; with these, the robbers could get the money from the bank with no questions asked. If a signature was required as well as the inkan, it would have made it harder to get the money.
I have my inkan registered with the city hall. I did this after Hisao passed away. I wanted to change our bank account from our joint names to my name. I thought it would be easy: show Hisao's ID and death certificate and my ID. I forgot about the inkan that was used to open the account. I had to go back with the inkan, but I took the wrong one. The next day I went back with 10 different inkans; they all had our family name on them, but each one was slightly different. Of course, none of these inkans was the one used to open the account. In the end, it was easier to close that account, register a new inkan and make a new account! Since then, I have always carried my inkan with me!
