Q: How it takes to receive the certificate?
A: The time span is as follows. You need a few more days when there is the flood of orders.
About 2 weeks: Samurai Name Certificate (PDF), Kamon Certificate (option) and Yōmyō and Kemyō Certificate (option)
About 3 weeks and delivery dates: Shojō style Certificate
About 5 weeks and delivery dates: Kakejiku style Certificate
Q: How can I receive the Samurai Name Certificate?
By e-mail: Samurai Name Certificate (PDF), Kamon Certificate (option) and Yōmyō and Kemyō Certificate (option)
By express delivery: Shojō style Certificate and Kakejiku style Certificate
Q: How much is the delivery charge?
A: I have two types of the delivery charge, international and local.
International Delivery: $32
Local Delivery in Japan: $20
Q: How can I ask to a store staff to print my samurai names?
A: If you also have “Yomyo and Kemyo Certificate”, show the certificate and ask them to print your samurai names in the order of Myoji and Kemyo (learn more). If you only have “Samurai name Certificate”, ask them to print your samurai names in the order of Myoji and Imina. If the max number of kanji characters is 5, ask them to print only your family name or Kemyo.
e.g. Tom Cruise
Also have “Yomyo and Kemyo Certificate”: 馬乗 又四郎
Only have “Samurai name Certificate”: 馬乗 義照
Max number of kanji characters is 5: 馬乗 or 又四郎
Q: I am a woman. Is it possible to have samurai names?
A: Yes, of course. There were some female samurai. I bestow a masculine samurai name along the traditional line like Ii Naotora 井伊直虎, but if you want a female samurai name like Tachibana Ginchiyo 立花誾千代, please let me know by noting that request on “Order notes (optional)” in Checkout form.
Q: Is there any discount when we place several orders with a partner, family, friends, etc?
A: Sorry, there is no discount.
Q: You have three names. In my experience, this is unusual for Japanese, isn’t it?
A: Yes. It’s unusual for present Japanese to have three names, but it was usual among samurai. Samurai basically had six name types (learn more), and needed not only their family name (名字 Myōji) and real name (諱 Imina) but also pseudonym (仮名 Kemyō) when they introduced themselves in writing (learn more). Nowadays Japanese doesn’t have Kemyō (in my case: Usaburō 卯三郎), so I think you felt strange to see my three samurai names.