“Itain” Moe-Hanko Make Big Impression
- Categories: Anime, News
- Date: Nov 13, 2012 04:33 JST
- Tags: Anime Goods, Image Gallery, Moe, Otaku, Seals, Touhou
Japanese otaku have been delighted to learn they can now stamp all manner of official documents with moe girls thanks to the advent of the “ita-in” seal, with fans busily registering them for use at banks and other official institutions, and some enthusiastic souls even vowing to use them to seal their marriage certificates.
The seals in question, traditional throughout East Asia, are still essential for “signing” most legal documents in Japan, so there is a diverse market for every kind of seal imaginable, in materials ranging from wood to mammoth ivory.
The idea for the business came from their earlier efforts to sell rubber moe-seals, already fairly well known amongst otaku. These were felt to be a little lacking however, and they enquired of traditional seal carvers (a multiplicity of which will have shops near any Japanese station of size) as to whether they could carve moe seals.
This proved possible, and the results were so impressive they soon led to a business venture.
The company’s break occurred when a tweet pointing out that the seals could be registered for use in official contexts such as banks just as any seal was widely retweeted, leading to a flood of orders.
For those interested in the specifics, various standard sizes of hanko and inkan are available for ¥1,380-¥2,980, and custom designs can be submitted by providing a monochrome image.
The main problem for many potential customers may be their hard line on copyright and doujin art – only Touhou and Higurashi derivative art receives automatic approval, with permission from the copyright holder (i.e. publisher, not merely the artist) required for everything else, severely limiting the possibility of K-ON! and Moebyou seals for now.
Orders and further information can be pursued on their site.
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This receives my seal of approval. :p
I see what you did there
You there, what did I see?
Quite literally!
I seal you there, did it.
What you did there i seal it.
>seal their marriage certificates
Even amongst the most depraved otaku, hope springs eternal.
I know a married Otaku couple... so your statement doesn't really make any sense.
They seal their marriage with a seal of the imaginary girl they're marrying... Now I see the point in it.
Just stamp on the pillow they married to
otaku + marriage = contradiction
MATTA!
No contradiction. They can now officially marry anime and game characters, so it doesn't contradict anything for otaku to have a marriage ceremony. Just they won't have a 3D girl, but they'll be happy.
I love 2D and 2.5D! XD
Its a juicy contradiction?
i'd rather have a monhan "quest clear" stamp
count me in
I like that.
Pedo Bear Seal of Approval, GET ON IT!
Can these be registered as a person's jitsuin (official registered seal that can be used for legal documents, such as contracts), or just for lower priority, such as a ginkoin (bank seal for passbooks)?
Yeah, try forging seals now. Fraudsters will now have to study anime and moe before they can commit crime.
Employ otaku as seal id checkers. You want to withdraw money, okay, who's this character on your seal? Wrong, you're a thief!
Their official website (http://www.itaindou.com/jisseki.php , sory I don't know html) says these aren't accepted at city halls. I assume that means they can't be registered as jitsuin since you register it at your local government office.
However they also say some city halls which have no rule against "designed seal" may accept it, so there's still hope.
Yes! It's available in official documents.
The article says it can be used for official contexts like banking, but a banking seal isn't as high as a personal registered seal...
Do they deliver outside of Japan? I'm a teacher and I use stamps all the time. I have one with Bob Sponge but I'm tired of it.
Staples will do anything if you provide the image.
WANTED , But I prefer Gunplas seal Version~
I would like one myself.
Can seals be made of just wood? I never thought about that. I used to do xilography, maybe its time to take out the old gouges and start engraving again.
I need a Liru one.
I love this story... In theory, being able to register any image for personal use would allow for such creativity. I'd always thought this kind of thing wouldn't be allowed though. Wikipedia for instance says of the jitsuin (legal, formal seal):
"The size, shape, material, decoration, and lettering style of jitsuin are closely regulated by law. For example, in Hiroshima, a jitsuin is expected to be roughly 1⁄2 to 1 inch (1.3 to 2.5 cm), usually square or (rarely) rectangular but never round, irregular, or oval, and must contain the individual's full family and given name, without abbreviation. The lettering must be red with a white background (shubun), with roughly equal width lines used throughout the name. The font must be one of several based on ancient historical lettering styles found in metal, woodcarving, and so on; ancient forms of ideographs are commonplace. A red perimeter must entirely surround the name, and there should be no other decoration on the underside (working surface) of the seal, though the top and sides (handle) of the seal may be decorated in any fashion from completely undecorated to historical animal motifs to dates, names, and inscriptions."
"...tweet pointing out that the seals could be registered for use in official contexts such as banks..."
"...only Touhou and Higurashi derivative art receives automatic approval..."
Someone's using a Reimu seal to authorize & verify transactions involving money!!?
They probably have lost all the money by now.
Finally a seal of my choice for future transactions.
I think idea of using seals instead of hand singning is very smart. It's harder to fabricate a custom made unique seal, than some doodle. Too bad not every county is this smart
Just who deals with paper documents these days? In technologically advanced nations anyway.
WoW, i want one.
Can you legally use more than one of these?
I'm getting a Darth Vader hanko. More badass.
interdestinghuhh
This is amazing! I'll have to buy one as soon as possible.
it is always a -guilty- pleasure to read the penmanship of the snobbish.
I want one so bad.
Make one or have one made by someone who knows how to carve wood? It's not like they have any official meaning outside far east so I doubt it matters...
Hell yes! Imma get one!
The power of moe compels me!
So many cute moe stamps. Like the Touhou one.
I'm gonna buy one to stamp my woman.
I'm gonna buy one to stamp my dakimakura
me envy u..
So you can stamp your waifu with an image of that waifu?
Younin!Younin!
Petanko!
Younin! Petanko! Younin! Petanko!
Cookies for the one who gets this reference.
Seitokai no Ichizon Lv.2 is ready.