Creating a Japanese Chop and Seal- Tenkoku
Grade Level: High School
Objective: Students will learn about the principles of design through creating their own
Japanese Chop/Seal which they will be able to utilize on their ink wash
drawings/paintings. Students will design their own chop that has personal
symbolism.
History: This art form was begun in China about 3700 years ago during the Yin Dynasty.
Chops were formally introduced to Japan in 701 from China. They are small
wooden, stone, or horn blocks used as signatures to bind any and every legal
contract in Japan. Average people have wood, stone, or horn chops whereas
rich public figures prefer chops made from more expensive materials such as
Jade, Agate, Crystal, and Ivory.
Originally the small seal's grip was pierced so a cord could be attached,
later animal shapes were carved or cast as part of the seal's grip. As the seals
grew in height, a grip was no longer needed but the grips continued to be carved
in an assortment of shapes and animals such as, dragons, hares, lions, elephants,
turtles, fish and figures. The grips on the seals became quite elaborate which
made the seals themselves collected as works of art.
“Jitsuin” or “true seals” are registered with the local authorities and used
on important legal documents. Japanese also carry personal chops or hankos for
everyday use.
Seals come in several sizes and shapes, the shape and size will dictate the
placement of the seal. Large, square and weighty seals are usually placed in the
lower corner of the painting. Irregular, oval and rectangular shapes are placed
on the sides. Name seals are usually square, whereas message or mood seals
come in a variety of shapes sometimes fanciful to reflect or compliment the
seals message.
Translating Western names can be difficult and because Japanese and
Chinese are languages that have many homonyms (words that sound alike but
have very different meanings); therefore the translation of your name may not
be something that you want to represent you. I.e., The characters in Chinese
for Szu-san means dead and falling apart.
Materials:
Small 1” pink rubber erasers
X-acto knives
Linoleum cutting tools
Scrap paper
Examples of Creative Designs
Japanese Chops carved out of soapstone
Examples of tools to carve traditional chops
Pencils
Tracing paper
Examples of Symbols they can use
Examples of printed chops
Stamp pad or ink to print chops
Vocabulary:
Chop (slang term): this is what the material you have carved your
design on is called. Usually made of stone, wood, horn.
Inbun: the design or text of the seal
Inniku or Shuniku: the ink, which is vermillion in color
The red paste used for seal ink and impressing is
made from finely pulverized cinnabar (mercuric
sulphide), mixed with a seed oil from Fukien Tea
(the best) or caster oil, which has been exposed to
the sun for three years, then added to the finely
ground cinnabar.
Seal or Inkan: this is the imprint of your Chop typically printed on a piece of
paper.
a. Jitsuin- one’s registered personal seal for official business
b. Shaban- registered seals of companies
c. Hanko- usually a mass produced seal used in place of the signature where
anything is acceptable. Not acceptable on official documents.
Yin or Hakubun: mostly red background with inscribed
symbol/letter
Yang or Shubun: mostly a white background with raised
symbol/letter
Tenkoku: this is a minor art in which you carve seals
Teppitsu: literally “iron brush”- the tool you carve with
Resources:
Books:
Sho Japanese Calligraphy
Sumi-Sigs
Websites:
www.goodorient.com
http://www.aizu.co.uk/chops%20and%20seals.htm
www.symbols.com
Plan of Action:
1. Introduce the principles of design through a power point slide lecture: Variety,
Movement, Repetition, Unity, Emphasis, Balance
2. Show students examples of Printed Chops and seals that were used by various
emperors, artists, etc. Tell students that their chop should somehow represent
who they are. It can be made of a symbol or it can simply be your initials in an
interesting design or shape.
3. Explain the difference between a negative vs positive spaced chop: a negative
spaced chop has your design cut away and it will print white with a red
background (YIN) while a positive spaced chop (YANG) your design will print
red and the space around it will be white.
4. Give students packets of symbols that they can use if they would like to. Also
give students websites that they can research to make their chop.
5. Have students create 20 squares that are 1” x 1” on a piece of paper and begin to
create their own design for a chop or use hand-out where you have already created
a sheet with 20 1”x 1” squares that students will use to draw a variety of chop
designs.
6. Choose the best chop and draw it using a 6B pencil on tracing paper, to scale ( the
size of the eraser)
7. Cut the piece of tracing paper and tape it to the eraser backwards/facedown (in
order for your chop to print correctly you must have it backwards on your eraser)
8. Draw on your design with a 6B pencil so it rubs off onto the eraser
9. Begin to use the x-acto knife and linoleum tools to cut away the parts of the eraser
that you would like to be white. It is important to cut slowly because the tools are
sharp and you can get cut. Also you cannot fix the design once you have messed
up. You don’t need to cut extremely deep. If you cut too deep then the eraser will
fall apart. Show examples of ones that have already been done.
10. You can check to see if you have cut enough away by doing a test stamp.
11. Cut more if you need to do so.
12. Finally print your chop on a good piece of rice paper or a sumi-e painting.