The traditional East
Asian stamp has served as a signature for
many years and is still commonly used today
to impart authenticity where authorship is
of importance (i.e., legal documents, art).
This particular combination of characters
means Ten Dreams
and is pronounced as my given English name
is in Japanese, Tomu
("to", as in token
and "mu", as in "a cow says
moo". Although, the Japanese are
convinced a cow says "moe", but we'll
leave that alone for now.)
My personal inkans
(Japanese stamp) were designed and crafted
by Mr. Tatsuo Furugori, at the request of
Mrs. Ritsuko Kuriyama and given to me as a
gift by a close personal friend. The stamps
are made of alabaster with the characters
carved into the bottom. The red seal paste
is pulverized cinnabar, mixed with castor
oil and silk strands.
I am indeed thankful to each of them for
this kind gesture.