Royal Chop of the Kingdom of Sierra
| Royal Chop of the Kingdom of Sierra | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Adopted | 1915 |
| Motto |
Jīnshān wángguó jūnzhǔ de yìnzhāng (金山王国君主的印章, "Seal of the Sovereign of the Kingdom of Sierra")
金山王 |
The Royal Chop of the Kingdom of Sierra, also known as the Privy Seal of the Kingdom of Sierra or the Seal of the Sovereign of the Kingdom of Sierra, is one of the national emblems used by the Kingdom of Sierra. It is stylized after East Asian seals (traditionally referred to as "chops" in the West). Although it is sometimes described as a privy seal, its usage has the same functionality and full legal effect of the coat of arms. As such, both the royal chop and the coat of arms serve as both the personal seal and emblem of the Sierran monarch respectively, and as great seals of the Kingdom of Sierra.
Description
The Royal Chop of the Kingdom of Sierra is a red square inscribed in Chinese Ming script as 金山王国君主的印章 ("Seal of the Sovereign of the Kingdom of Sierra", or more literally "Seal of the Sovereign of the Gold Mountain Kingdom"). It has three lines of vertical writing, read right-to-left, and top-to-bottom, with the rightmost line containing the characters 金山王, the center line containing the characters 国君主, and the leftmost line containing the characters 的印章.
Use
The Royal Chop of the Kingdom of Sierra and its variations are used by the Government of the Kingdom of Sierra, the Parliament of the Kingdom of Sierra, and the federal courts. Legally, the Royal Chop has equal, legal standing with the national coat of arms, and it may be used interchangeably either as substitute or replacement for the coat of arms. Its absence or omission thereof, bears no consequence so long as the coat of arms is present. Likewise, the sole use of the Royal Chop is sufficient alone to validate and authenticate any and all legal documents, proclamations, statutes, regulations, executive orders, treaties, letters, writs, powers of attorney, commissions, and other instruments made by the Government of the Kingdom of Sierra and its institutions, including Parliament. The dual use of both the Royal Chop and the coat of arms, while duplicative in nature, do not in any way invalidate one another. In addition, the Royal Chop is the personal seal of the Sovereign, who may use it in lieu of a signature or monogram, to sign or officiate any document, whether for official or personal use.
In practice, the Royal Chop's usage is limited to the Sovereign's personal use and for ceremonial purposes. It may occasionally appear alongside the coat of arms in an official document to signify that such document had been personally examined, read, and signed by the Sovereign themselves or by someone authorized to do so on the Sovereign's behalf (such as by a member of the Sierran royal family or a viceregal representative such as a Lord Superintendent).
History
The Royal Chop was introduced during the reign of Louis I who was an Orientalist who had openly embraced the Sierran Cultural Revolution and wished to incorporate more East Asian imagery and symbolism into the Sierran monarchy as a means to bolster Sierra's claims over Tondo and its affinity with its East Asian partners. Parliament passed a statute in 1927 formally recognizing the Royal Chop as having the same and equal status to the national coat of arms, thereby elevating the Eastern-styled seal to the level of one of the nation's national symbols and great seals.