History Main / PersonalSeals

In Chinese and Japanese law, one needs a stamp to "sign" documents in one's name--"signatures" as Europeans know them are an impossibility as the Chinese alphabet is much different than the Roman one. Also called a "chop", one's stamp must be registered with the authorities before it is officially recognized. These stamps, referred to (by the Japanese) as ''hanko'', or ''inkan'', are used with red ink to mark a document.

While wax seals with signet imprints are a good precaution against a forged document, they are not foolproof. The signet may have been copied, the ruler may have been forced to make the impression, or an official (or a spy) may have used the signet without the owner's permission. In RealLife, the last tactic was used in Japan by adult children of elderly people, who used their dead parent's chop to sign for the parent and defraud their estate.

[[folder: Anime & Manga ]]

[[folder: Theatre]]

* Another Ancient Rome example, from Chelsea Quinn Yarbro's ''Blood Games'': Petronius asks that his seal ring be destroyed (with him watching) before he commits suicide, fearing that Nero would use it to forge evidence and invalidate his will.

* ''Webcomic/{{Unsounded}}'': When Duane breaks into Lori's office looking for the missing waterwomen he finds that Lori has carefully worked to preserve the royal seal from several messages from the queen, though the messages themselves she burned. He wonders if she kept them as insurance or as souvenirs.

* ''Literature/TheBible'': In the book of Genesis, when Pharaoh appoints Joseph as his NumberTwo, he gives Joseph his signet ring. This is a big deal, as it gives Joseph the power to sign documents in Pharaoh's name.

[[folder:Film]]

In Chinese and Japanese law, one needs a stamp to "sign" documents in one's name--"signatures" as Europeans know them are an impossibility as The Chinese alphabet is much different than the Roman one. Also called a "chop", one's stamp must be registered with the authorities before it is officially recognized. These stamps, referred to (by the Japanese) as ''hanko'', or ''inkan'', are used with red ink to mark a document.

* In the movie ''A Taxing Woman'' tax evaders use all sorts tricks to hide the extra personal seals associated with their hidden bank accounts.

In Chinese and Japanese law, one needs a stamp to "sign" documents in one's name--"signatures" as Europeans know them are an impossibility as The Chinese alphabet is much different than the Roman one. Also called a "chop", one's stamp must to be registered with the authorities before it is officially recognized. These stamps, referred to (by the Japanese) as ''hanko'', or ''inkan'', are used with red ink to mark a document.

* In the movie "A Taxing Woman" tax evaders use all sorts tricks to hide the extra personal seals associated with their hidden bank accounts.

In Chinese and Japanese law, one needs a stamp to "sign" documents in one's name--"signatures" as Europeans know them are an impossibility as written Chinese doesn't have an alphabet. Also called a "chop", one's stamp must to be registered with the authorities before it is officially recognized. These stamps, referred to (by the Japanese) as ''hanko'', or ''inkan'', are used with red ink to mark a document.

* An example of the western version appears in Creator/DanBrown's novel ''Literature/DeceptionPoint''. [[StrawmanPolitical Evil Conservative]] [[AddedAlliterativeAppeal Senator Sedgewick Sexton]] places self adhesive wax seals on manila envelopes [[spoiler: which contain "evidence" that the president was behind a vast conspiracy to...[[ItMakesSenseInContext make it look like aliens exist]]]] to [[strike: make himself even more insufferable]] impress the journalists he plans to hand them out to.

* The significance of the physical object is hard to overstate. In real life, local managers have [[http://www.chinalawblog.com/2011/06/vie.html stolen entire companies]] by making off with the chop.

* The custom is maintained in Western nations by the seals associated with most public offices, and [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Notary_public notaries public]] in several jurisdictions have stamps and seals with their name and date of affirmation.

* ''Literature/{{Discworld}}'': In the events of ''Discworld/{{Making Money}}'', it is revealed that Lord Vetinari's signet ring is made of a special metal, possibly an alloy, that has the unique property of absorbing light and turning it into an intense heat. He stores it in a little wooden box when not stamping paperwork with it. While one of the villains who is obsessed with imitating him has an exact replica of the ring made and wears it all the time under a glove [[spoiler: and since it's too small for him his finger turns gangrenous, fortunately Moist talks him into stepping outside into the sunlight without the glove, so the heat is intense enough to amputate and cauterize.]]

* While he's certainly not illiterate, Clothahump of ''Literature/{{Spellsinger}}'' uses a signet ring to sign documents. It looks like a [[AliensSpeakingEnglish letter C]] in a [[PettingZooPeople turtle shell]].

The practice was once common among European nobility and royalty, specifically through the use of signet rings to impress a personal seal into wax bindings on messages. (Wearing your personal seal on a ring also prevents the usual application of this trope, conveniently enough.)