When an item is packed in a wooden box, the box is inscribed and the Toya seal is affixed to it.
This seal is called a rakukan-in and is usually the name or pen name of the person who stamps it.
In addition to this, there may be other seals stamped on the document, which are called "yuin" (play seals) and are also known as "kuchin-in" (head seals) or "ashi-in" (foot seals).
These are seals made of passages from elegant poems, ancient words or proverbs, and many of them seem to express the person's feelings or way of life.
My grandfather-in-law, the first Toya, would stamp his favorite items with the words "Pottery Business."
The word "yase" may make one feel a little intimidated, but it conveys the determination that this is how he will make his way through life.
His father's name was "Shiganouhan."
The meaning behind this is not that of the other shore, but that of this world in which we live now, and that we have only lived half our lives, and that we still have a long way to go.
They both have different attitudes towards life.
Now, when I think about myself...even though I have faced the flames, all I do is run around restlessly.
From now on, I need to take a closer look at myself and create some cool Yuin...it's not too late.
After all, he is the son of "Konigan Ojihan."
