Taichung-based custom seal maker Chang Tai-ming (張泰銘) said he is modernizing the family business by combing the best features of handcraft and computer-assisted carving tools.
Brother A San’s Seal Making Co was founded 50 years ago in Taichung’s Fengyuan District (豐原) by his father, Chang Cheng-san (張正三), Chang Tai-ming, 38, said on Sunday as the shop marked the anniversary with special discounts.
His father’s seals were renowned in the district for their craftsmanship and quality, Chang Tai-ming said, adding that he learned the trade working beside his father and inherited the shop after completing his military service.
Photo: Ou Su-mei, Taipei Times
Traditionally, a seal maker repeatedly traces and then inscribes the characters on a seal face until achieving the desired effect, a time-consuming process that is being increasingly replaced by computerized carving, he said.
However, mechanically carved seals do not have the calligraphic flourishes of old-fashioned techniques, and he does not make them unless they are requested specifically by clients who urgently need a seal, Chang Tai-ming said.
In his shop, the seal-script characters are traced anew for each order and the pieces are carved with computerized tools and then finished by hand, resulting in aesthetically superior products, he sad.
Keeping up with the changing tastes of consumers is important to the survival of traditional businesses, and Brother A San’s Seal Making is following the trend among seal collectors to preserve the umbilical of their newborn in their seal, Chang Tai-ming said.
The umbilical seals that he makes are heart or gourd-shaped, and can contain a lock of the baby’s hair upon request, he said.
The Tourism Bureau had sent a crew to make a documentary about his shop, Chang Tai-ming added.
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