What Is Hanko? A Complete Guide to Japan’s Traditional Personal Seal
Introduction If you have ever signed an official document in Japan, you may have noticed that many people use a carved stamp instead of a handwritten signature. This traditional seal is known as a hanko, and it has been an important part of Japanese culture for centuries. Understanding What Is Hanko helps explain how identity, trust, and legal verification work in Japan. Although electronic signatures and handwritten signatures are becoming more common, the hanko remains a respected symbol of authenticity and tradition in both personal and professional settings. What Is Hanko and Why Is It Important? The question What Is Hanko can be answered simply: it is a personal seal used in Japan to represent an individual's identity. A hanko is usually engraved with a person's name or a company name in Japanese characters and is pressed onto paper using red ink. Instead of signing documents by hand, many Japanese people use their hanko to approve paperwork, contracts, and official rec...