You're probably used to signing your name with a pen at the end of an important document. But in Japan, everyone is expected to have a stamp called a hanko or inkan. These customised seals are used to print your name in in the exact same way every time you sign something. The inkan's design is registered with the signee’s local authorities, proving their identity and, according to the Japanese, making it much harder to forge than a signature.

Although they are used in such formal situations as signing a contract or bank document, it seems there are very few rules about the designs one may have. As long as the stamp design contains an element of your actual name, you’re quite free to have whatever other motifs you choose.

Thanks to this, plenty of awesome customisable inkan designs have become available featuring popular characters such as Pokemon, and you can even get one inspired by your own pet!

But if you want to have the cutest hanko design possible, now you can employ the charms of the most kawaii characters around thanks to this inkan collaboration with Sanrio.

You can choose your favourite character, which all have several adorable poses and designs as options, then you can customise further by selecting a font for your name.

Sanrio’s most well known character, Hello Kitty, is a dependable option.

A My Melody adorned signature stamp is also up for grabs.

Or the latest addition is the floppy-eared Cinnamoroll.

Another cool feature of these kawaii seals, is that they can be kept in an adorable tube which matches the character you choose, allowing you to easily carry it around wherever you go.

It may be hard to believe that these designs are actually acceptable for important documents and contracts, but they do meet the legal requirements and are recognized by many major banks and postal services (full list can be found online).

If you've been convinced to go full cute with your signature, all the designs can be found on Sanrio's online shop, where they promise even more characters to come!

Whichever one you choose, you’re sure to make your new landlord smile when you hand back the adorably stamped housing contract... for one reason or another.