Name Seals

Many countries require signatures on contracts. But in Japan, name seals are used instead. From marriage registrations to car registrations, from birth certificates to death certificates, the stamp of a name seal is required on many public documents. Carving the face of a name seal is a task that requires painstaking workmanship. Seals with beautiful decorative designs can be artistic masterpieces in their own right. The samurai competed among themselves to have the most exquisite name seals, which were vital symbols of identity. Japan's imperial seal, the mark of the emperor, has been in use for more than 130 years. Even in our high-tech times, demand for name seals remains strong. Advances in digital technology have led to an entirely new type of name seal with some fascinating features. On this edition of BEGIN Japanology, our theme is name seals. We investigate the large role that these small carved stamps play in Japanese life.
Trailer
Recently Updated Shows

Lioness
Lioness, inspired by an actual U.S. Military program, follows the life of Joe while she attempts to balance her personal and professional life as the tip of the CIA's spear in the war on terror. The Lioness Program, overseen by Kaitlyn Meade and Donald Westfield, enlists an aggressive Marine Raider named Cruz to operate undercover alongside Joe among the power brokers of State terrorism in the CIA's efforts to thwart the next 9/11.

Doc
Doc centers on the hard-charging, brilliant Dr. Amy Larsen, Chief of Internal and Family Medicine at Westside Hospital in Minneapolis. After a brain injury erases the last eight years of her life, Amy must navigate an unfamiliar world where she has no recollection of patients she's treated, colleagues she's crossed, the soulmate she divorced, the man she now loves and the tragedy that caused her to push everyone away. She can rely only on her estranged 17-year-old daughter, whom she remembers as a 9-year-old, and a handful of devoted friends, as she struggles to continue practicing medicine, despite having lost nearly a decade of knowledge and experience.

The Pitt
The Pitt is a realistic examination of the challenges facing healthcare workers in today's America as seen through the lens of the frontline heroes working in a modern-day hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Each episode follows an hour of Dr. Robby's 15-hour shift as the chief attendant in Pittsburgh Trauma Medical Hospital's emergency room.

