Today, I would like to introduce “Characters of Prayers” and “Characters of Cities,” written by Yoji Haijima.
Characters the author and his acquaintances found are introduced with various photographs, including signboards and shop curtains in “Characters of Cities,” and tablets, amulets, etc. in “Characters of Prayers.”
“Characters of Cities complete edition” is also available. In the complete edition, “Characters of Prayers” and “Characters of Cities” are re-edited and combined into one volume.
“Characters of Cities” begins with the text: “Reinstatement of lantern makers as a forward.” Tracing instead of making a brushstroke at once in calligraphy is called “lantern maker,” after lantern and signboard makers from the Edo period. When the author did “lantern maker” at school, he was scolded by his teacher. Indeed, I’m a “lantern maker” who creates a font by correcting single character by single character. I felt a little affinity with the author. As I kept on reading the book, I felt that a font (type) and characters introduced in the book are very contrasting. While type is designed for general use so it can be rearranged and used in various sentences, many characters in “Characters of Cities” and “Characters of Prayers” are special characters prepared for a specific location.
When I read and understood each character along with the author’s sensibility, experience, and knowledge, I found a lot of information included in the photographs with only a few characters. I thought I can take it easy to read this book, as there are many photographs. It took more time to read than I had expected, but it was a happy miscalculation.
Book Information:
“Characters of Cities”
Author: Yoji Haijima
Publisher: Haga Shoten
Purchase Information:
https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B000J939U0/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_5101193S8V2BV8QBZ1WF
The used book can be purchased on Amazon.
Book Information:
“Characters of Prayers”
Author: Yoji Haijima
Publisher: Haga Shoten
Purchase Information:
https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B000J94LZC/ref=cm_sw_r_tw_dp_KJAV0YKK6CWY9T9NBFBV
The used book can be purchased on Amazon.
There is “Complete Edition: Characters of Cities,” a combined and re-edited “Characters of Cities” and “Characters of Prayers.”
Book Information:
“Complete Edition: Characters of Cities”
Author: Yoji Haijima
Publisher: Graphic-sha Publishing Co., Ltd.
Purchase Information:
Graphic-sha Publishing Co., Ltd.
http://www.graphicsha.co.jp/detail.html?p=42540
(T.I)
Series archive Recommended Book / From TP’s Stack
- From TP’s Stack: “Creation of Typefaces That Open a New Era”
- From TP’s Stack: “The Kawaraban of Edo – Identity of Media That Enfevered the Common People”
- From TP’s Stack: “Creation of Typefaces”
- From TP’s Stack: “Cultural History of the Character”
- From TP’s Stack: “The History of Mincho Typeface”
- From TP’s Stack: “Characters of Prayers” and “Characters of Cities”
- From TP’s Stack: “The World of Edo Books: Publishing Situation in Edo Read by Kibyōshi”
- From TP’s Stack: “Portrait of 34 Great Craftsmen”
- From TP’s Stack: “The History of Japanese Lettering”
- From TP’s Stack: “Johnston’s Underground Type”
- From TP’s Stack: “The Beauty of Characters and the Power of Characters”
- From TP’s Stack: “It’s Still Railroad Letters”