by Steve Weiss
There comes a time in the life of an instructor when you
are faced with the task of issuing
menkyo (rank
certificates) to your students. One of the essentials
pertaining to this job is the proper use of
hanko (seals).
The first thing you must do is of course find a
qualified seal carver to make the actual seals for you.
At this point you will probably wish to have at least
three seals made. These should include your personal
seal, your dojo and/or organizational seal, and the ryu
seal. If you instruct in more than one ryu you will want
to have seals made for each.
Most seals are carved from soapstone and always done in
tensho
(ancient-style characters). Stones are much like jewelry
in terms of quality. There are over 30 types of stones
used for seals. Yellow stones are usually the most
expensive. Most stones come from China, some from Japan,
and only a few from Taiwan.
Most of your
hanko should be relatively small. Only kings or
emperors used the large seals. (By the way some kings
used to have their seals carved from gold and some used
bronze or brass). Most seals are square or rectangular.
Banks commonly use round seals.
Once you have your
hanko
made you are ready to start thinking about how to
actually use them. Next you will need to purchase
inniku (a red
ink pad for your
hanko).
There are a wide variety of inkpads available and the
cost will vary greatly. The Japanese have six different
colors of red and the Chinese have three. Inexpensive
inkpads will start at around $20.00 and go on up into
the $100s. Be advised that the quality of the inkpad
will determine the quality of the seal impression. Most
artists will use a very dark red for a line seal and an
orange/red for a reversed seal. However, you will
usually want to use only one color per
menkyo.
Next we must consider where to apply your
hanko.
Your personal seal will normally be applied over your
signature on a
menkyo. If you are using the same seal on a
kakemono (hanging scroll) it will normally go under your signature.
The other two seals are not as critical. Usually your
organizational seal will go over that written portion on
the menkyo
itself but can be placed where you wish. The ryu seal is
usually placed over the written portion also but once
again feel free to place it where you like. Many
instructors like to place the latter two seals over the
person’s name and rank so they cannot be changed. To
apply ink to your
hanko hold the inkpad in your left hand (never let it rest on a
hard surface) and the
hanko in
your right hand. Gently tap the inkpad 10–20 times
making sure that you apply ink to the border of the
hanko.
You will notice when you purchase the inkpad that the
pad slightly slopes downward from the center. This is
the way you wish to keep your pad shaped. The more
expensive inkpads will come with a little spoon made
from horn. This spoon is used to help you maintain the
shape of the pad for proper use. As you tap the
hanko against
the pad it is not necessary to apply ink to the entire
hanko
with every tap. Actually, with large seals, this is
impossible.
Now you are ready to actually stamp the
menkyo.
Before you do this be sure and put a piece of
shitajiki (felt) under the
menkyo. This will help the ink sink into the
paper itself and will also help keep the
hanko
from being damaged. Now apply the ink to the paper by
pressing down hard and maintaining the pressure for a
few seconds. Next leave the
hanko in
contact with the paper but release the pressure. Next
press down one more time and then quickly lift the
hanko
straight up. By the way, applying ink is considered a
skill unto itself, so you will want to practice. Be sure
and let the ink dry before you roll the scroll back up.
A few more comments about the ink itself. The air will
dry out the ink so you will want to keep the container
tightly closed. Only two companies make inkpads in China
and none in Taiwan. The best company is over 300 years
old and guarantees the ink for 50 years. Cheap ink has
more oil in it and will fade out in three months to one
year. Cheap ink is also very ugly. (This article will
not discuss the other important element so important to
hanko,
paper — there are hundreds of types of paper.)
Once you are finished with your
hanko
always clean them before putting them up. Take a piece
of tissue paper and stamp it several times to remove the
excess ink. Next take a toothbrush and run it across the
hanko
several times to get between the characters. By the way,
don't ever use your
hanko
with red ink and then orange ink without a good cleaning
or you will distort the inkpad forever.
For storage some sort of padded box is best. Most
hanko will
come in a little box when you purchase them. They look
like a miniature casket padded on the sides and bottom.
Another idea is to buy a nice wooden box or even a cigar
box will work fine. Be sure and pad the box well to
prevent the stones from chipping.
Remember that your
hanko are made from a very soft stone and will break easily. But with
proper use and care they will last a lifetime.
