Grey Tokyo: Hankograph for WildAid Japan and Tears of the African Elephant

An anti-ivory awareness drive

In Japan, personal stamp seals, known as hanko, are used to sign official documents such as contracts and marriage registrations. The cultural significance of hanko means that a large number of them are made from ivory, since it's considered to be the most luxurious material. However, some Japanese people are still unaware of the reality of the ivory trade and the animals it endangers.

Grey Tokyo and Koji Yamamura, an Academy Award-nominated independent animator, created a two-minute animation using only wooden hanko, in order to promote the use of sustainable materials for personal seals.

The film, Hankograph, uses 500 wooden stamps and 2,400 frames to raise awareness of the initiative to end the ivory trade and consumption in Japan.