Chinese 花押 Kanji 花押 Hangul 화압 | Hanyu Pinyin Romanization Kaō Hanja 花押 | |
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A kaō or huāyā is a stylized signature or a mark used in east Asia in place of a true signature.
History
Kaō first appeared in China during the Tang Dynasty, and began to be used in Japan during the Heian period. Though their use became far less widespread after the Edo period, they continue to be used even by some contemporary politicians and other famous people. The reading and identification of individual kaō often requires specialist knowledge; whole books devoted to the topic have been published.
Often used by Japanese swordsmith on sword tang (nakago).
References
Kaō Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA