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Huaya

(Redirected from 花押)

Huaya ("flower seal"; Chinese: 花押; pinyin: Huā Yā; Korean: 화압, romanized: Hwaap; Japanese: 花押, romanized: Kaō, Vietnamese: hoa áp, chữ Hán: 花押) are stylized signatures or marks used in East Asian cultures in place of a true 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.

Huaya
Kaō of lord Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-1598)
Chinese name
Chinese花押
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu Pinyinhuāyā
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese alphabethoa áp
Chữ Hán花押
Korean name
Hangul화압
Hanja花押
Transcriptions
Revised RomanizationHwaap
McCune–ReischauerHwaap
Japanese name
Kanji花押
Kanaかおう
Transcriptions
RomanizationKaō

Design

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The Sino-Japanese Friendship and Trade Treaty of 1871, showing the marks of general Li Hongzhang (left) and lord Date Munenari (right)

Most huaya are constructed from parts of Chinese characters 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 (618-907) and Song dynasties (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

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China

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The oldest surviving record of huaya is in the Book of Northern Qi, the official history of the Northern Qi dynasty (550–577 AD).[1] Huaya reached its peak popularity during the Northern Song dynasty (960-1127).[2] After that, its popularity began to decline.

Japan

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Huaya first spread to Japan during the Heian period (794-1185), where it is called Kaō.[3] 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.[4] The reading and identification of individual kaō often requires specialist knowledge; whole books devoted to the topic have been published.[5]

Vietnam

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Huaya spread to Vietnam after Vietnamese independence from China. It was referred to as hoa áp. It was widely used during the Lê dynasty with both the Nguyễn and Trịnh lords using their own hoa áp.[6] These hoa áp are seen in letters to Japan and other nations.

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    The hoa áp on a 1635 letter to Japan.
  •  
    The hoa áp on a 1684 letter to Japan.
  •  
    This hoa áp "曉示 hiểu thị" is from a 1606 letter by Nguyễn Hoàng 阮潢 to Tokugawa Ieyasu 徳川家康.
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    Mark of Nguyễn Hoàng (阮潢; 1525-1613) seen on a copy of a letter from Japan.
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    A hoa áp seen on a letter from Phúc Nghĩa Hầu (福義侯) to the “King of Japan”.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ 李百药 (November 2020), 北齐书 [Book of Northern Qi] (in Chinese), 中国社会科学出版社, ISBN 978-7-5203-7496-5
  2. ^ "日本的"花押"到底是什么?" (in Chinese). June 6, 2020. Retrieved June 5, 2021.
  3. ^ 望月 鶴川 [Kakusen Mochizuki] (June 2005), 花押のせかい [The World of Kaō], 朝陽会 [Chōyōkai], ISBN 978-4-903059-03-7
  4. ^ 佐藤 進一 [Satō Shin'ichi] (September 2000), 花押を読む [Reading Kaō], 平凡社 [Heibonsha], ISBN 978-4-582-76367-6
  5. ^ 上島 有 [Tamotsu Kamishima] (December 2004), 中世花押の謎を解く―足利将軍家とその花押 [Cracking the Riddle of Kaō from the Middle Ages: The Ashikaga Shogunate and their Kaō], 山川出版社 [Yamakawa Shuppansha], ISBN 978-4-634-52330-2, JPNO 20717189
  6. ^ Võ, Vinh Quang; Hồ, Xuân Thiên; Hồ, Xuân Diên (29 June 2018). "Họ Hồ làng Nguyệt Biều - Hương Cần và dấu ấn của Đức Xuyên tử Hồ Quang Đại với lịch sử xã hội xứ Thần Kinh". Tạp chí Sông Hương. Retrieved 29 October 2024.
 
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