Hi, thanks for the article about hanko. I went to Tokyo Hands tonight to get a jitsu-in hanko and have some questions.
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What size is best?
The guy tonight said 15 mm was popular with men, so I picked that one. Since it’s jitsu-in I was planning to use my first and last name (3 and 4 katakana, respectfully). I was going to get the 13.5 mm one for my wife. -
How much should it cost?
It’s unclear if using my first and last name meant a lot more expensive, but the price came to around ¥15,000 ($135) with a modest wood choice. I don’t mind spending that much if that’s normal and I don’t mind spending a little more for nice material, I just don’t want to totally get ripped off. -
They definitely offered “elephant” material (an expensive option).
I was surprised this was offered at TH, and I’m definitely down for going somewhere else that doesn’t offer this, assuming it’s real ivory. However, I read an article about another shop and it seems like ivory was offered there as well. Is there somewhere else I should go? I’d prefer to go to an actual shop if I can navigate with limited Japanese.
See the photos below regarding my options. I just noticed there’s a CITES emblem under the ivory hanko, but I have no idea what that means.
Thanks in advance.
