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Japanese seals have traditionally served a role similar to signatures, on official documents, paintings, and works of calligraphy. They are typically carved from small blocks of stone, and dipped in vermillion ink to imprint a stylized form of the user's name, or another design, onto paper or silk.
Japanese seals have traditionally served a role similar to signatures, on official documents, paintings, and works of calligraphy. They are typically carved from small blocks of stone, and dipped in vermillion ink to imprint a stylized form of the user's name, or another design, onto paper or silk.
==In China==
Imperial seals were exclusively made of precious materials such as [[gold]] and [[jade]] beginning in the [[Qin Dynasty]].<ref>Gallery labels, British Museum.[https://www.flickr.com/photos/toranosuke/33763474828/in/photostream/]</ref>
==In Japan==
Seals most commonly employ white characters, the red filling the negative space. These are called ''hakubun'in'' (lit. "white characters seal"), while the reverse, in which the characters are imprinted directly in red, are called ''shubun'in'' (lit. "red characters seal").
Seals most commonly employ white characters, the red filling the negative space. These are called ''hakubun'in'' (lit. "white characters seal"), while the reverse, in which the characters are imprinted directly in red, are called ''shubun'in'' (lit. "red characters seal").
