{"id":5544,"date":"2025-12-19T15:01:41","date_gmt":"2025-12-19T06:01:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/oh-mama.tokyo\/?p=5544"},"modified":"2025-12-19T15:03:38","modified_gmt":"2025-12-19T06:03:38","slug":"questions-about-shodo-japanese-calligraphy-how-are-hanko-made","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/oh-mama.tokyo\/?p=5544","title":{"rendered":"Questions about Shodo, Japanese Calligraphy: How Are Hanko Made?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

From Loving Hanko to Making One<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a previous blog post, \u201cQuestions about Shodo<\/em>, Japanese Calligraphy: Do Japanese People Love Hanko?\u201d<\/a>, I wrote about how much Japanese people enjoy using hanko<\/em> or stamps.
This time, I\u2019d like to go one step further and talk about how hanko<\/em> are actually made.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Two Hanko<\/em> at Our Salon<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

We have two hanko<\/em> that guests can use after enjoying our shodo<\/em> experience. One is 22 mm square, and the other is 14 mm square. The larger hanko<\/em> has a character for \u201cmother\u201d written in an ancient Chinese style inside a circle. The smaller one uses a modern Japanese kanji<\/em> for \u201cmother.\u201d Since our salon is called Oh! Mama<\/strong>, the choice feels very natural.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The larger hanko<\/em> was carved by our salon manager, and the smaller one was carved by her father. Guests can choose whichever stamp they like.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Very Small Challenge<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, I made a brand-new hanko<\/em>. This one is extremely small\u2014only 4 mm square. I thought I had ordered a 5 mm one\u2026 but that\u2019s just a little aside. In any case, it\u2019s tiny! I was a bit worried, but decided to give it a try.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The seal stone is fixed into a holder called an inshow<\/em>. Using a very thin 2 mm carving knife, I carefully carve the design. Because it\u2019s so small, I move very slowly and cautiously.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just when I thought it was almost finished, I decided to make the longest line stronger. As I carved a bit more enthusiastically\u2014crack! One corner chipped off. For a moment, I regretted that final push. But when I stamped it on paper, the chip actually added a warm, charming character.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This tiny hanko<\/em> is carved with the katakana<\/em> character \u201c\u30de\u201d (ma). In Japanese, the sound \u201cma\u201d can be expressed with just one character. It comes from the \u201cMa\u201d in Oh! Mama.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Coming New Year\u2019s Finishing Touch<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The reason I made this ultra-small hanko<\/em> was for our New Year\u2019s entrance decoration. I stamped it beneath a long, narrow piece of paper with the words \u201c\u8b39\u8cc0\u65b0\u5e74\u201d, meaning \u201cRespectfully celebrating the New Year.\u201d Black ink on white paper, finished with a vermilion-red seal\u2014this final touch brings balance and completion to shodo<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are less than two weeks left in the year.
Wishing everyone a very happy and peaceful New Year.<\/p>\n\n\n