篆書

(RO: tensho; PR: "ten-shoh")
The oldest style of writing kanji.

The very earliest forms of kanji were engraved in this style on animal bones or turtle shells over 3,000 years ago. Such writings are known as kōkotsubun (甲骨文). The style evolved during the Zhou dynasty (c. 1046 – 256 BCE) as bronze began to be used in China and inscriptions (known as kinbun (金文)) were added to ceremonial bronze vessels. During the Qin dynasty (221 – 206 BCE), an elegant form of tensho known as shōten (小篆) was also developed.

These days, tensho is known as "seal script" because this style is commonly used for the kanji on the seals (or stamps) that have been used for signing documents for thousands of years in China and Japan.