User:Kaouwiki

Kaou The source: Free encyclopedia "Wikipedia Japan" http://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E3%83%A1%E3%82%A4%E3%83%B3%E3%83%9A%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B8 Kaou is a sign / a mark used in substitution for a signature like Kaou. Originally signature gradually made a design a pattern the thing which signed commonly made a signer and an another person clear, and to distinguish own name, and the Kaou which had special shape was born to a document. Kaou is seen in a kanji culture of East Asia mainly. It was thought that it occurred in Chinese Tang (the eighth century), and it began to be used from (the tenth century) in the days of peace in Japan at the middle, and called it with a "seal", a "written seal", and it was used flourishingly until the Edo era. In many parts of the world, a similar instance of the Kaou in the Islam zone is seen.

Kaou in Japan

Outline history The Japanese kaou began with a signature of grass style. The oldest example of Japanese Kaou is demanded in middle in the tenth century, but, as for this time, there are many things of a grass hand body. When the eleventh century began, the “Nigoutai” which put a part of 2 kanji characters in real name together and made a design was born. In addition, the “Ichijitai” which made only 1 character a design among real names for the same period came to appear. In either case, on the basis of Kaou being a substitute of signature, it was a principle that it was made based on a real name. In addition, it was Kaou born in noble society at first, but Kaou has begun to appear in a document (paddy field bills of sale) of the common people from for the latter period in the eleventh century. There was the characteristic of Kaou of the then common people in a point to write a real name and Kaou jointly. （Because Kaou is a substitute of a real name, only Kaou is originally enough.）

After the Kamakura era, examples of Kaou of a samurai increased remarkably with document issuance by a samurai having increased markedly. Therefore a description of shape / station method of Kaou peculiar to the samurai who was different from a noble thing was born. This is called samurai style (Buke-yo) and call a style of noble Kaou (Kuge-yo). It was Kaou to make based on a real name, but tended to originally imitate Kaou of ancestors and a lord regardless of a real name to a samurai after Kamakura period. I inherit common people custom of the peace period, and that I wrote a real name and Kaou jointly is nominated for a characteristic of another samurai Kaou. A samurai let an amanuensis make a document, and it became custom by oneself to write down only Kaou. Therefore it was assumed that collation of Kaou was important by a samurai family method whereas handwriting collation was made much of by a court noble method when I judged the truth of a document to be it.

When it was the age of civil strife, a style of Kaou diversified remarkably. Kaou is not always made based on a real name, and examples such as the Kaou which made "麟" character Kaou of Nobunaga Oda and "悉" character Kaou of Hideyoshi Hashiba, a bird (a wagtail) of Masamune Date a design are seen. There are many the examples that the child who inherited birthright succeeds Kaou of father, and it is thought that have begun to carry not only the role that Kaou calls signature but also a role to symbolize a specific position. Kaou type to seal with a sumi with the version thing which sculptd in Kaou was seen from Kamakura period, but it was it for the war-torn country period, and it was wide, and it came to be used and spread more for the Edo period. The spread of this Kaou types shows that Kaou has begun to be used in the same way as a seal. （Call this a seal of Kaou.）

There became little use examples of Kaou, and, in the Edo era, use examples of a seal increased. Kaou was not seen from middle of Edo, and, at the class of farmers in particular, a seal came to be used wholly.

As for the paper without a registered seal, emperor's reign official proclamation of the effect that does not become evidence in a trial is emitted to (1873) in 1873, and Kaou almost disappears, and a seal will replace Kaou. Is done legality about a document demanding sealing if necessary, and is inapplicable afterwards; even if was a document, the above emperor's reign official proclamation lapsed with presence in itself of sealing being treated as a problem to relate to genuine proof of a document. However, there was effect as a signature in Kaou, and an opinion (sealing demanded in a chirograph will) of the effect that should have recognized Kaou as a kind of sealing about a document to need sealing for came to appear. In addition, it becomes custom to perform a cabinet minister signature in government cabinet meeting in Kaou after the Meiji era. In addition, in Japan of the 21st century, Kaou can be used for a signature of a passport credit card, circulating the draft for sanction in a company, the approval in government offices, but is very rare.