Huaya ("flower seal"; ; ; , , chữ Hán: ) are stylized or marks used in East Asian cultures in place of a fully written signature. Originating from China, the huaya was historically used by prominent figures such as government officials, monks, artists, and craftsmen. The use of stamp seals gradually replaced the huaya, though they are still used occasionally in modern times by important people.
Design
Most
huaya are constructed from parts of
Hanzi and resemble them to a certain degree. A small number of early marks, mostly used by Buddhist monks, are simply abstract pictures related to the person's identity.
Generally, one or more of the characters from the person's name is used in creating a huaya. Designs are often taken from highly calligraphic, distorted, or alternative forms of a character, as well as merging parts of two characters into a single mark (similar to a monogram). Descendants of the same family or artistic lineage will often have similar-looking marks.
Several styles of huaya have existed throughout history. Early marks from the Tang dynasty (618-907) and Song dynasty (960–1279) were more abstract and minimalistic compared to later designs. During the Ming dynasty (1368-1644), marks with a design between two horizontal lines became popular in China, and was adopted later by the Tokugawa clan in Japan.
History
China
The oldest surviving record of
huaya is in the
Book of Northern Qi, the official history of the
Northern Qi dynasty (550–577 AD).
reached its peak popularity during the
Northern Song dynasty (960-1127).
After that, its popularity began to decline.
Tang Xuanzong signature (huaya).jpg|Mark of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang (685-762)
宋太祖御押 01.svg|Mark of Emperor Taizu of Song (927-976)
宋太宗御押.svg|Mark of Emperor Taizong of Song (939–997)
Song Huizong signature (tian xia yi ren).jpg|Mark of Emperor Huizong of Song (1082-1135)
Hongwu Emperor signature (Kao).jpg|Mark of the Hongwu Emperor (1328-1398)
Chongzhen Emperor signature (huaya).jpg|Mark of the Chongzhen Emperor (1611-1644)
Bada Shanren signature (huaya).jpg|Mark of the painter Bada Shanren (1626–1705)
Li Hongzhang Signature (Kao).png|Mark of general Li Hongzhang (1823-1901)
Japan
Huaya first spread to Japan during the
Heian period (794-1185), where it is called
Kaō.
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.
Kaō of Taira no Tadamori.svg|Mark of Taira no Tadamori (1096–1153)
Kaō of Ashikaga Takauji.svg|Mark of shogun Ashikaga Takauji (1305-1358)
後花園天皇花押.png|Mark of Emperor Go-Hanazono (1418-1471)
Kaō of Tokugawa Ieyasu.svg|Mark of shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu (1543-1616)
Hideki Tojo signature.svg|Mark of prime minister Hideki Tojo (1884-1948)
Joint letter of Five Elders (of Toyotomi).jpg|Marks of members of the Council of Five Elders
Vietnam
Huaya spread to Vietnam after Vietnamese independence from China. It was referred to as . It was widely used during the Lê dynasty with both the Nguyễn and Trịnh lords using their own .
These are seen in letters to Japan and other nations.
File:Nguyen Letter Seal 示.svg|The on a 1635 letter to Japan.
File:Nguyen Letter Seal 書2.svg|The on a 1684 letter to Japan.
File:Nguyen Letter Seal 曉示.svg|This "曉示 hiểu thị" is from a 1606 letter by Nguyễn Hoàng 阮潢 to Tokugawa Ieyasu 徳川家康.
File:阮潢 letter to 源家康.jpg|Mark of Nguyễn Hoàng (阮潢; 1525-1613) seen on a copy of a letter from Japan.
File:Letter by Minister Phúc Nghĩa Hầu of Cochinchina to the King of Japan.jpg|A seen on a letter from Phúc Nghĩa Hầu (福義侯) to the “King of Japan”.
See also
