Koshu Tebori Insho

A seal no one else has

In Japan a hanko, a name seal, is pressed to show your own consent, so a seal should be unique. Koshu seals are carved by hand in boxwood, water buffalo horn or crystal, with lines finer than a pencil stroke; no two hand-carved seals are ever the same. Seal-stock makers, engravers and sellers all work within Yamanashi, an arrangement not found elsewhere. It is made in Kofu, Ichikawamisato, Minobu and Showa in Yamanashi.

Layout to finish

• The seal face is prepared and a draft of the characters is drawn.
• The characters are laid out and transferred to the face.
• They are rough-carved, then the face is adjusted.
• The characters are corrected and finished by hand.
• Traditional knives, a small mallet and a carving stand are used throughout.

Crystal and seals

Crystal was found in Yamanashi, and crystal craft began in the Edo period; seal stock was made as part of crystal polishing, and the engraving skill spread to boxwood and buffalo horn. A late-Edo shopping guide to Kofu already lists craftsmen handling seals, and a record of the same period notes orders for prized crystal and buffalo seal stock. It is a close neighbour of Koshu crystal carving and Koshu inden: crystal seals are sold in inden cases.