Dating back to the Shang Dynasty of China (1600 – 1050BC), seals have been made for centuries to capture and communicate ideas, and to identify individuals and businesses. Originally made out of tortoise shells and wooden slacks, the Ming Dynasty brought about the evolutionary change of using Shoushan stones – colourful soft stone quarried from the northern village of Shoushan, China. Since then, the use of these stone seals (also known colloquially as “chops”) have become an integral part of identification, and are often used in formalizing documents.

Today, these stone seals are still widely used to help brand and distinguish between martial arts schools, dojo facilities, and to identify instructors and masters.