161215-0003 - Inkan Seal Engraver

A seal maker engraving an hanko (判子) seal, also known as inkan (印鑑).

Seals have been used in Japan instead of signatures in official and personal documents and even art.

This postcard is from a series called “Pictures of Various Occupations of Japan,” published in the 1930s. The series offers a great record of small business in Japan during the early Showa Period (1925-1989).