INSO GAKU
What is Insō-gaku (Seal Physiognomy)?
Inso-gaku is a Japanese form-reading practice that reads the effect on career and money luck from the script style and the presence of chips or faded impressions in the imprint of a personal seal, such as a registered seal (jitsuin). It developed as a modern business custom that applies the thinking of traditional physiognomy to the seal, a tool of commercial transactions.
Overview
- System
- Form Reading (reads from the script style and condition of a seal impression)
- Origin
- Japan
- What You Need
- A photo of the seal, or answers about its script style and whether it is chipped
- Best For
- Career and money
- Time Frame
- Life as a whole
Origins & History
Seals themselves have been used since ancient times in China and Japan, but the system of registered personal seals became widely established in Japan only after the family registry system was put in place during the Meiji era. Inso-gaku, which reads fortune from the script style and presence of chips in a seal impression, is a relatively new form-reading practice that developed on the foundation of this registered-seal culture, within the setting of modern commercial transactions.
As seal shops took on the engraving of registered seals in particular, the idea of choosing an auspicious script style spread among business owners and shopkeepers. It can be described as a distinctively Japanese business custom that applies the thinking of traditional physiognomy—normally focused on the face or hand—to the seal impression, a tool of commerce.
How It Works
- 01Upload a photo of the seal you want assessed, or answer questions about its script style and whether it is chipped.
- 02Identify the script style of the impression (such as seal script or clerical script).
- 03Check the impression for chips, fading, or distortion.
- 04Match the combination of script style and condition to the interpretations of inso-gaku, based on Japanese business custom.
- 05Summarize the result in terms of its effect on career and money luck.
What It Reveals
Inso-gaku is well suited to reading how a registered seal or a seal used for work is likely to affect career and money luck. At the same time, it is a relatively new system established only in modern times, and interpretations of script style and chipping vary between engravers and schools, so it should not be used to decide the success or failure of a business on the basis of a seal alone.
Related Methods
References
- 日本の商習慣における印相学（実印の書体・状態占い）の解説資料