Service Information
After nearly five decades of intensive immersion in Japanese and particularly Kanji Culture through Calligraphy, I have come to appreciate the value of its universal appeal. There are a number of cultural practices that are unique to Japan, such as the Tea Ceremony and Kabuki theatre, but we believe that Kanji characters also represent Japanese culture.
Even if you were not born with a name in Kanji, it is quite acceptable to adopt a pen name in Kanji. Would you like to experience Japanese Culture by creating new meaning in Kanji for the name you’ve had for so long?
Samurai Names in Kanji: For the Samurai a name contained great significance, and often a new name was adopted to signify a rite of passage. When written as a signature it conveyed authorship, authority, commitment, and connection to one’s Mission.
Correct Selection of Kanji: There are thousands of Kanji in the language, and some have multiple meanings and pronunciations. It is possible to use AI to generate Kanji to fit the pronunciation or the meaning of a name from another language, but the end result is usually meaningless or laughable to native speakers of languages using Kanji. Selection of Kanji for one’s name is connected to your Mission or direction in Life. Therefore at atename.jp we combine native understanding of Kanji, extensive experience in selecting Kanji for names, a professional calligrapher’s sense of graphic design, all customized to the individual behind the name.
Kanji Culture: The characters of Kanji have many layers of meaning, come in many scripts, and have a beautiful graphic appeal. It is most impressive when the Kanji selected for your name also fit its pronunciation and original meaning from your native language, and is written in beautiful calligraphic script.
Why not create kanji for your name and give it new meaning? We design kanji for names that can be used in print, on a website, and as signatures. It can also be used to personalize gift items, as well as on Business Cards and Stationary. It becomes your personal logo, an emblem of your identity.
WILLIAM REED
Author of Song of the Brush Dance of the Ink (Morgan James Publishing)
10th-dan in Shodo from Zen Nihon Kokusai Shohō Kai
Vice Chairmen of the Japan Calligraphy Education Association
Calligraphy Commissions from Historic Shrines and Temples
Calligraphy Commissions for Nationally televised Programs and Documentaries on the Samurai
8th-dan in Aikido from Aikido Yuishinkai, Shodan in Mugairyu Iaido
Professor of Calligraphy and Kanji Culture at the International College of Liberal Arts (iCLA) in Japan
Why We Recommend This Service
Kanji design professionals with extensive knowledge & experience
We are a group of kanji design professionals with extensive knowledge and experience. All designers have mastered all areas relating to lettering such as kanji signatures, pen lettering and calligraphy. They have skills and know-hows that they have gained throughout their long experience, and their strength is within their ability to accommodate any name including ones that are not Japanese.
Pioneers of signature design & No. 1 share of the Japanese market
We are proud of the fact that we are the pioneers of the signature design service business in Japan. We are No. 1 in terms of shares in the Japanese market and have a track record of designing over 50,000 signatures for a variety of clients from politicians and celebrities to the general public. We have been covered in the media, and we have been highly acclaimed for the way we work to meet various needs in the most accurate way.
The most practical format for the use
We place importance on designing kanji that can actually be used so that they are not created merely for the look or to have no purpose afterwards. When the characters are delivered, you can choose from 3 different formats to suit what you will use it for. The first is the ‘kanji signature’ which is practical and easy to write, the second is the ‘bimoji’ which is designed to look beautiful when written with a pen, and the third is the ‘calligraphy’ format which is great for design material because of its strong Japanese-style characteristics. We take pride in the consideration we have for the customers being able to easily experience the kanji culture in a practical way.
What is ‘Ateji’?
Japan has a custom called ‘ateji’ which is to give foreign words kanji characters based on their sounds, and this tradition is used to create kanji names for people with non-Japanese names.
Your name is a precious gift from your parents, so we recommend that you carefully consider which kanji characters to use just as you would if you are creating a new name for yourself. Because you’re creating a kanji name, you want it to be a name that your friends in your country and people from countries that use kanji are impressed by and comment on how nice your name is.
Some kanji are considered ‘lucky’ and some are not. Positive kanji for words like ‘peace’ (幸), calm (静) and harmony (和) are used often because they are considered to be lucky and to bring good fortune. On the other hand, negative kanji such as ‘demon’ (鬼) and ‘suffering’ (苦) are considered bad luck and are avoided, so these cannot be recommended for names. This decision can be difficult for people without knowledge and understanding of kanji. Some people use the internet to change their names to kanji, but in these cases, the meaning is not considered as it is created solely based on the phonetic sounds.
As kanji name design professionals, we analyze pronunciation, meaning of kanji and the meanings the customers want to include in their name before creating a name with a positive impression that best fits the format selected.
If an internet service is used
No meaning is considered, and the characters will be chosen solely on phonetic sound.
If our service is used
An experienced professional will analyze the pronunciation, meaning of kanji and the meanings the customer wants to include in their name before creating a name with a positive impression that best fits the format selected.
These 2 kanji characters “鈴” (bell) and “音” (sound) are combined to form the meaning “the sound of a bell.” Just gazing at these characters – a combination that evokes refreshing, positive feelings - one can imagine the sounds of a beautiful bell chiming.
Examples
- Name
- Tomas
- Country
- America
- Age
- 56
- Gender
- Male
- Come to Japan
- 2 times
This uses the kanji for ‘sword’ (刀) and ‘measure’ (升). Both characters have a strong Japanese impression. ‘Sword’ is a stylish character that portrays masculine strength, and the character for ‘measure’ is commonly used in Japanese surnames.
We place importance on reducing the pen strokes so that they can be written easily and quickly, but we also design it while considering the visual beauty of it as well. This format is practical and can be used often, so the appeal of this is that people can experience kanji as a part of their everyday life.
- Name
- Leon
- Country
- France
- Age
- 34
- Gender
- Male
- Come to Japan
- 4 times
The combination of the 2 characters means ‘the sound of bells’. You can almost hear the beautiful sound of bells just by looking at the characters, and it is a combination that evokes refreshing and positive feelings.
Apart from kanji, lettering that emphasizes the beauty of form and brush strokes is rare. However, we pursued the formative art of the shape of the kanji itself in this format, so we avoided abbreviating or deforming the characters. We recommend this for anyone who wants to master the beautiful classic kanji while using standard pens such as fountain and ballpoint.
- Name
- Emma
- Country
- England
- Age
- 40
- Gender
- Female
- Come to Japan
- 1 times
This uses the kanji for ‘picture’ (絵) and for ‘horse’ (馬). Each character has their own meaning, but by combining the 2, it is also the kanji used to express the auspicious wooden plaque that people write prayers on at shrines.
We pursued further aesthetic beauty of lettering as this is a style that incorporates deeper artistic features such as the elements of huskiness that are unique to writing brushes. Visually, there is a strong ‘Japanese style’ characteristic to it. This can be used variously for prints, icons, interior decorating and design materials.
We place importance on reducing the pen strokes so that they can be written easily and quickly, but we also design it while considering the visual beauty of it as well. This format is practical and can be used often, so the appeal of this is that people can experience kanji as a part of their everyday life.
Apart from kanji, lettering that emphasizes the beauty of form and brush strokes is rare. However, we pursued the formative art of the shape of the kanji itself in this format, so we avoided abbreviating or deforming the characters. We recommend this for anyone who wants to master the beautiful classic kanji while using standard pens such as fountain and ballpoint.
We pursued further aesthetic beauty of lettering as this is a style that incorporates deeper artistic features such as the elements of huskiness that are unique to writing brushes. Visually, there is a strong ‘Japanese style’ characteristic to it. This can be used variously for prints, icons, interior decorating and design materials.
Ordering Process
Please send us the order form once the required fields are filled out. Once we receive the order, we will send you a confirmation email, so once this is received, please check the order contents, price and delivery address.
Once we confirm the payment, we will start the process of devising the ‘ateji’ and creating the lettering. We will send the design proposal to the registered email address approximately 3 days from the date this process begins.
We will ask you to check the design proposal for the kanji characters and design image.Please inform us of whether:
- You would like any revisions. If so, please specify.
- You are happy and require no further revisions. If so, please instruct us to deliver the final product.
Once you instruct us to deliver the final product, we will prepare various documents such as instructions on how to practice, an exercise workbook and an instructional handwriting video. In approximately 3 days, we will send the final data to the registered email address.
Please note:
- It takes approximately 7 days from the date of order until the final product is sent; however, to ensure quality is maintained, there is a possibility that the design proposal etc. may be delayed.
- As these are completely made-to-order, we will require upfront payment of design fees.
Delivered Contents
Original exercise notebook
This is an item that is essential in mastering your signature. We have included samples which you can trace to practice, and there are instructions on how to write such as information on how to start, stroke order, where to stop completely and where to sweep the stroke. The data will be sent in a PDF format.
Ai Illustrator vector data
This is digital data which can be used for various printed materials. So that it can be used for large prints, you will be provided with the vector data. The data will be sent in an Illustrator ai format.
Stroke order video
This video will enable you to practice while watching the designer themselves writing the signature. Because it is a video, the fluctuation in the speed of the stroke can be checked over and over, so it is extremely useful in mastering your signature. The data will be sent in an MP4 format. However, this is limited to signatures or bimoji design.
Story sheet
This will provide you with specific information and explanation about the ‘ateji’ as well as information about the designer’s thought process and feelings towards the design layout. We feel that this information will help you bond with your new kanji name even more. The data will be sent in PDF format.
Prices
The price above includes the process of creating the ‘ateji’ and a choice of 1 of the 3 available formats – Kanji signature, Bimoji and Calligraphy. Any fee-charging option will incur additional fees separate from the fee stated above.
PAYMENT METHOD
Company Overview
Our company, syomei.com, was the first company in Japan to start signature design services, so we are pioneers in this field. There are a number of professional designers that are experts in signatures, pen lettering and Japanese calligraphy working here. In other words, we are a group of kanji professionals. The service started in 2006, and since then, we have produced over 100,000 designs for over 50,000 people. Our clients are diverse and range from celebrities, athletes, politicians, entrepreneurs and businessmen to housewives and students as well. We have also been interviewed a number of times by various media forms from television (NHK, TBS) to magazines.
syomei.com Inc.5F, Fujinami Building, 3-6-2 Higashi Ueno,
Taito-ku, Tokyo 110-0015, Japan
Tel 81-3-5817-8897
Fax 81-3-5817-8679
http://www.syomei.com（Japanese）
http://www.syomei.biz（English）
syomei@syomei.com（E-mail）
Special Advisor
WILLIAM REED
Author of Song of the Brush Dance of the Ink (Morgan James Publishing)
10th-dan in Shodo from Zen Nihon Kokusai Shohō Kai
Vice Chairmen of the Japan Calligraphy Education Association
Calligraphy Commissions from Historic Shrines and Temples
Calligraphy Commissions for Nationally televised Programs and Documentaries on the Samurai
8th-dan in Aikido from Aikido Yuishinkai, Shodan in Mugairyu Iaido
Professor of Calligraphy and Kanji Culture at the International College of Liberal Arts (iCLA) in Japan
Website：http://www.samurai-walk.com
YouTube Channel：https://www.youtube.com/c/taproot55WilliamReed