1931-34 china incident war medal with interesting stamp

[okw44]

Hi guys,
I would like to ask your opinion about that stamp. What it can be? Maker mark, inspection mark?
Many thanks,

[GHP]

Since these cases had a finished cloth/pasteboard interior, I think this would be the inspector's stamp done prior to having the interior pasted in.


(小島)
Kojima




--Guy

[thiago_heide]

This mark is a "hanko" stamp. The hanko stamp is used to sign for things as well in Japan. Instead of simply signing your name over and over again the people of Japan will stamp their way to a cramp free hand.

Japanese government authorities began to use these hanko for official documentation for authentication around the eight century and since then the Hanko has been also used by high governing officials and even samurai for most of Japan’s recorded history. They were common also amongst merchants and even farmers in the Edo period (1603-1868). The current hanko system was really started amongst the Meiji Era (1868-1912), finally in the early 1870’s the government passed a law that required all people to register their personal hanko that will be used for important legal and personal documents.

[okw44]

Thank you so much