- Kaō
A nihongo|kaō|花押|extra=Mandarin: "huāyā" is a stylized
signature or a mark used in place of a signature. Kaō first appeared in China during theTang Dynasty , and began to be used in Japan during theHeian period . [cite book|title=花押のせかい (The World of Kaō)|author=Kakusen mochiduki望月 鶴川|date=June 2005|id=ISBN 4903059037|publisher=Chōyōkai] Though their use became far less widespread after theEdo period , they continue to be used even by some contemporary politicians and other famous individuals.cite book|title=花押を読む (Reading Kaō)|author=Satō Shin'ichi (佐藤 進一)|date=September 2000|id=ISBN 4582763676|publisher=Heibonsha Library] The reading and identification of individual kaō often requires specialist knowledge; whole books devoted to the topic have been published. [cite book|title=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)|publisher=Yamakawa Publishing|author=Yu Kamisima上島 有|id=ISBN 4634523302|date=December 2004]References
See also
*
East Asian calligraphy
*Tughra , stylised Arabic signatures used by Ottoman sultans
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