This Year’s Kanji Is “令” We Asked Judicial Scrivener Kiyotomo Yoshioka of Reiwa Judicial Scrivener Office

The annual “Kanji of the Year” has been announced, and this year’s character is “令.”

Of course, it must be the “令” from “Reiwa.”

So we wondered if there was anything in Nishinomiya related to “Reiwa”…

And there was!!

It turns out there’s a “令和司法書士事務所” (Reiwa Judicial Scrivener Office) in Toda-cho near Hanshin Nishinomiya.

So we promptly visited “令和司法書士事務所” and spoke with them.

It looks like it’s in this building.

Let’s take a closer look.

There was a directory sign.

We went up the stairs to the second floor…

Here is the office.

When we visited, judicial scrivener Kiyotomo Yoshioka kindly took time out of his busy schedule to speak with us.

 

Born in March 1972 in Nagoya, Aichi Prefecture.
Enrolled in the School of Economics at Kwansei Gakuin University. While still a student, during the year of the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake, he worked part-time at a judicial scrivener office.
At that time, he witnessed many damaged buildings being rebuilt and saw the recovery of disaster-stricken Kobe through real estate registration work.
Upon graduating from Kwansei Gakuin University, he joined a judicial scrivener office in Chuo-ku, Kobe.
In spring 2010, after working at that office for about 15 years, he left and opened the Judicial Scrivener Kiyotomo Yoshioka Office in Nada-ku, Kobe.
In June 2019, he relocated to Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture, under the name Reiwa Judicial Scrivener Office.

(Source: official website of 令和司法書士事務所)

Why did you name the office “令和司法書士事務所”?

I originally ran my office in Kobe under a different name, but I changed it when I relocated to Nishinomiya. There are already four judicial scriveners named “Yoshioka” in Nishinomiya, so including “Yoshioka” in the office name would have been confusing. That’s why I decided to change it.

There are a few reasons I chose “Reiwa.” One of them, of course, is that I relocated the office right after the era name changed, so I went along with the new era name. Also, “令” is the same character used in “法令” (laws and ordinances).

Are there any other reasons?

Yes. Another reason is that I thought I would probably be a good match with the kind of people who would see this name and choose to come here.

What do you mean by that?

In our line of work, compatibility with clients is very important. If someone sees the name “令和司法書士事務所” and thinks it sounds “frivolous” or “liable to change from one moment to the next,” then I don’t think I would be a good match for that person. In that sense, I feel I’d be able to work well with people who see this name and decide to come to us.

I see… So the name came after quite a bit of thought. Since choosing the name “Reiwa,” has anything particularly good or bad happened because of it?

No… nothing in particular.

Right… Lastly, could you share your thoughts on “令” being chosen as this year’s kanji?

I don’t have anything in particular to say about that either… Well, I do think I’m glad I went along with the era name.

Thank you very much for taking the time to speak with us today.

Despite our sudden visit and rather baffling interview, Mr. Yoshioka answered our questions very graciously. Thank you very much.

For more details about “令和司法書士事務所,” please see the official website below↓

Official website of 令和司法書士事務所