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Japan’s floral birthday crests now available as beautiful personalized seals

Casey Baseel Aug 1, 2017
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Full array of 366 hana komon, each with its own associated meaning and symbolism, is on offer.

Back in Japan’s feudal era, it was common for samurai to have a familial crest, similar to medieval knights’ coats of arms. If you’re reading this, you were born a few centuries too late to pledge you loyalty to a samurai clan, but you can still proudly use a hana komon, Japan’s floral crests that correspond to your birthday.

We took a look at hana komon a while back, but they’re now back in our thoughts and desires again. The company Hankozu specializes in hanko (the stamp-like personal seals used in Japan instead of signatures on legal documents) and has expanded its offerings to include personalized hana komon hanko featuring the owner’s name and floral crest.

If you’re unsure of what your hana komon is, Hankozu website has a search function that will pull yours up for you here. Simply scroll down until you see the drop-down menus and select the month (月) and day (日) of your birth, then click the red button marked 花個紋を探す (“Search for hana komon”).

▼ Hana komon for January 1

The results will show you your crest and the name of the flower, as well as its associated meaning and a description of the expected personality of a person born with this crest. The hana komon for August 31, for example, is the fritillaria lily, symbolizing a quest of yearning. Those with this hana komon are said to possess a mystical charm and gift for insight that allows them to read other’s emotions, as well as a fine sense of humor. Meanwhile, the hana komon for those born on September 1 is the bellfower, representing purity and cleanliness, and those born with it are unpretentious and pure-hearted,

▼ Hana komon for August 31 (left) and September 1 (right)

While Hankozu’s floral crest hanko are vaguely circular, a notable feature is that they don’t have a closed circle encompassing the entire design, unlike almost all other manufacturers’ personal seals. Customers can choose between one of three fonts with varying degrees of brush stroke-style flair.

You also have your choice of materials. Hanko with rubber stamp surfaces are priced at 4,000 yen (US$36), while those with wood stamps are just a little more at 5,000 yen. A two-hanko package, with the same design on both a rubber and wooden stamp, is also available for 9,000 yen).

▼ One-stamp orders come in tubes, while the double-pack ships in a box.

All orders include a large card explaining your hana komon (as even the average Japanese person doesn’t have an in-depth knowledge hana komon symbolism) as well as a booklet containing illustrations of all 366 crests.

▼ And yes, there’s one for Leap Day: the five-pointed shortia.

Orders can be placed through Hankozu’s online Rakuten shop (rubber stamps here, wooden stamps here, and combo packs here). While hanko aren’t legally binding outside of Japan, the elegant design and personal nature of these hana komon hanko make them ideal gifts, as well as a unique way to sign personal correspondence or greeting cards.

Source: PR Times, Hankozu
Top image: Hankozu (edited by SoraNews24)
Insert images: PR Times, Hankozu (edited by SoraNews24)
[ Read in Japanese ]