Western typography was imported from the United States to Japan in the late nineteenth century. Its success is usually attributed to just two people: Tomiji Hirano and Shozo Motoki. Even though Kawaka Ikehara reportedly provided them with the original drawings and is thus potentially the source of all modern Japanese typefaces, he is a much lesser-known figure. His typeface provided a bridge between the unique Japanese calligraphy (Wayo) in use until the late Edo period and modern typographic forms from the Meiji period, and its influence deserves wider recognition. This talk sheds light on Ikehara and tries to reestablish his position in the history of Japanese typefaces.
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