noun
stylized signature; written seal
A highly stylized, often illegible personal mark used in place of a signature, historically common in East Asian official documents and art.
武将たちは文書に花押を記した。
The warlords affixed their stylized signatures to the documents.
この掛け軸の右下に作者の花押がある。
There is the artist's stylized signature at the bottom right of this hanging scroll.
From Chinese 花押 (huāyā), literally 'flower seal' or 'flower mark', referring to the ornate, flower-like appearance of the stylized signature.