Unlike in Western countries, a signature is not legally binding in Japan. Withdrawal slips at banks, appications to government offices and all kinds of formal documents are stamped with a hanko (also called inkan) or seal, after the person’s name.
Hanko are made of wood, ivory, bone, crystal, stone or other material and are carved with the owner’s family name. They are usually with a red inked pad. Provided a document is correctly stamped, it is still legal even if someone else has written the name of the owner of the hanko.
People with common names can buy their hanko ready-made at a stationer’s, but when buying property or dealing with large amounts of money, it is necessary to use a hanko called jitsuin which has been officially registered at a government office. Also, it is only possible to withdraw money from a bank account by using the hanko stamped in the passbook when the account was opened.
For most minor transactions, however, people use an ordinary unregistered hanko called mitome-in. Among other things, this is used to stamp receipts for the delivery of express mail, registered mail and parcels, and to stamp documents at work to show that they have been circulated and seen. The hanko is used so often that life would be almost impossible without one.
Nowadays fixed hanko is available at 1 dollar shop, and usually the cheapest coasts about Y2.000 to make one as needed. In Japan, even an elementary school, should have their own hanko.
:: Gen Itasaka, Gates to Japan : Its People and Society and Closer to Japan
