07: Epilogue A common answer shared by people who gather around seal enthusiasts: the more ordinary something is, the more beautiful it is.

Ieyasu: It seems like we're a group of people with many hobbies, including music and art. You've been playing the bass guitar for a long time, and you often go to concerts.

Harada: Well, that's true. But Kobayashi-san is quite talented. He even makes the guitars themselves.

Kobayashi: I once made a seal and gave it to Derek Trucks, the slide guitarist.

Yamashita: He's a guitar god!!

Kobayashi: I started listening to music in junior high school and was immersed in Led Zeppelin. I think I've seen all the performances of the three great guitarists. Back then, things weren't as formal as they are now, so I would go up close to the stage and shake hands with Elton John.

Harada: Kobayashi-san had a talk with Peter Barakan on an NHK program. It was broadcast worldwide! And Ninomiya-san is actually a semi-professional golfer.

Ninomiya: I played golf until I was just before 30. My family business was making seals.
Letters have a sense of style, right? So I thought that one day I would tackle them properly.

Kobayashi: I have a connection with Ninomiya's parents; his father and I were in the same class, and my wife and mother were also in the same class.

Ninomiya: Since I have seniors close to me, I think about how I can create something different every day.

Kobayashi: I have always thought the same, and I still want each piece to be the best. I can't think about how to make it beautiful, what the maximum is, or whether this is good enough. Making something good is what a craftsman is all about.

Ninomiya: In terms of the freedom to create, I think seal carving is closer to classical music and seals are closer to composition. What do you think?

Kobayashi: Well, I don't know. Seal carving certainly has a classical foundation, but it's surprisingly very free. That's why it's difficult. That's what makes it interesting, deep, and difficult. White space is important, and it's also important that the white space is alive, so in the past it was often said that the universe exists in the world of square inches.

Ninomiya: It's the same as Picasso's paintings. After properly mastering the classics and the basics, he said that he was finally able to draw like a child, i.e., he was able to break down. When I heard this, I thought I could never become a painter.

Kobayashi: It's the same with haiku. You can't write like a child. As an adult, your intentions come out. It's difficult to be childish. Something that shows off your skills is annoying, isn't it? You get bored of looking at it. That's why something casual is good. It's the same with exhibitions and anything else. Good things are good no matter how many times you look at them. So it's important to create things that you can look at and feel are good for a long time, even if they don't take your breath away.

Harada: Surprises, gimmicks, and tricks are only temporary. Nowadays, seals are difficult, so I want to try all sorts of things, and I want to struggle. But I think it's all about letters. Because it's something that you use for a long time, I want to go back to the basics and honestly create and hand over good things without embellishing them, and I think the presence of these colleagues who are willing to take on new challenges with us like this is the greatest strength of Harada Shokodo.

Ieyasu: The world of the video that Yamashita-san and Shimazu-san have created is like that. You might be surprised that it's just a seal, but I never get tired of watching it no matter how many times I watch it. Why? I think it's because it's essential. Harada Shokodo's efforts are not something eccentric, but rather, I felt from today's talk that they are reconsidering the role that seals originally had. That's why banker Ikuhara-san also sees the potential, and why the younger generation, who generally don't have much to do with seals, are attracted to it and are gathering together like this. It's not about what's been said recently, but the essence, that's important.

Harada: I always thought, "That's stupid." Since I took over this company, there have been many things and it's been difficult, of course.

Harada: But to put it nicely, it's a rebellious spirit. I've always wanted to do it. Because there is such a wonderful culture and craftsmen here, and Ichikawamisato-cho (formerly Rokugo-cho) has been called the town of stamps. As times change, I want to continue challenging myself to see what value there is in the new era, right?

Ieyasu: What exactly are you thinking?

Harada: When you buy a seal, you choose the material, font, and case, right? In many cases, the material of the seal determines the price. But isn't it difficult to choose the font? Everyone.

Arakawa: I didn't know you could even choose the font.

Harada: We have started with an e-commerce site for overseas customers, and although there is an additional fee, you can check the text design in advance. But the satisfaction rate is high.

Shimazu: On the contrary, everyone on overseas sites wants to check the design in advance.

Harada: I want to encourage more people to encounter and choose the meaning and beauty of the characters' shapes when making a seal. The craftsmen who make seals in this way are known as carving craftsmen, but I also want to create a point of contact with customers in the field of character design.

Kobayashi: Each character has its own origin, meaning, and shape, so the more you learn about them the more interesting it becomes.

Ieyasu: I'm sure there are fonts that fit perfectly with a person's personality and kanji, as well as their purpose. That's interesting. Let's create a flow where people can choose and learn in that way.

Shimazu: Both the web and video can evolve even further.

Even though this is just an epilogue, I still want to know more about the profound world of letters and seals.

First, start by getting your own copy!