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The Journal

Journal

Guides and stories on Japanese seals, seal script, and what it means to sign your name the Japanese way.

Three Japanese personal seals of different sizes and materials standing in a row, their rank shown by size alone — the everyday, the bank, and the registered seal.
Living in Japan

Jitsuin vs Bank Seal vs Mitome-in: Japan's Three Seals, Explained for Foreigners

Japan sorts personal seals into three ranks — and the written ordinances are not what the counter actually accepts. What each seal can do, why the bank window can be stricter than city hall, and where the Latin alphabet fits.

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A single dark hanko seal standing beside a round vermilion ink pad and a sheet of blank washi paper in soft morning window light.
Living in Japan

Do I Need a Hanko in Japan? The 2026 Reality of the "De-Hanko" Era

Japan's de-hanko reform was real — but banks, landlords and city halls still ask. When you actually need a hanko in 2026, when a signature is enough, and what to do if your name is in the Latin alphabet.

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A round vermilion seal impression, its right half dissolving into fine gold engineering construction lines and measurement arcs.
Behind the Build

I Built a Non-AI Seal Engine. With AI.

Every seal on SealFont stopped being made by an AI image model and is now drawn by a geometry engine I built — with AI. Which half of the work AI should do, and which half it absolutely shouldn't.

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Raw cinnabar ore beside ground vermilion powder and a dish of red seal paste on handmade paper.
Culture

Why Is a Japanese Seal Always Red?

The vermilion on a Japanese seal isn't decoration. It's cinnabar — a mineral once valued just below gold, a symbol of eternity, and a little bit of poison. The real reason hanko impressions are red.

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A Western quill pen beside a Japanese stone seal, a calligraphy brush, and a dish of red seal paste.
Culture · Living in Japan

Why Does the West Sign, and Japan Seal?

A Westerner signs; in Japan you press a seal. Same job, opposite philosophies — one anticipates forgery and guards against it, the other presumes integrity. The cultural logic behind hanko vs signature.

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Ancient seal-script characters carved into a mist-wrapped mountain cliff face.
Culture

What Is Seal Script? The 2,000-Year Lineage Behind Your Hanko

The writing on a Japanese seal isn't decoration — it's seal script, one of the oldest writing systems still in daily use. From the First Emperor and Li Si to kissō-tai, the real history behind your hanko.

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A carved square seal stone beside its red impression on an ink painting of bamboo.
Culture

What Is a Rakkan? The Red Seals on Japanese Art, Explained

Those red seals on Japanese ink paintings and calligraphy have a name and a grammar. A clear guide to the rakkan — the artist's seal — its types, placement, and meaning.

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Three carved Japanese hanko seals beside a red ink pad and a stamped impression.
Living in Japan

Can Foreigners Register a Hanko in Japan? Romaji Seals Explained

Yes — foreign residents can register a 実印, and many cities now accept romaji seals. The requirements, the step-by-step process, and what makes a seal registrable.

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A round red SealFont seal at the centre of a Japanese still life.
Living in Japan

What Is a Hanko? A Foreigner's Complete Guide to Japan's Personal Seals

The history, the three seals you'll meet (実印・銀行印・認印), red vs white seals, and whether you can register one in your own romaji name.

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A red Japanese seal impression with strokes reaching out toward the eight directions of the seal face.
Culture · Living in Japan

Does a Japanese Seal Really Bring Good Luck? An Honest Look

Stroke counts, the eight directions, "unlucky" names you can pay to fix — we trace where these promises actually come from, and separate the sales tactic from the tradition worth keeping.

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