Collection of wooden movable type

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[Collection of wooden movable type]

[Creator unidentified].

[Japan, ca. Meiji period (1860-1910s)?]. 

A collection of 243 pieces of wooden movable type hand-cut with katakana and kanji characters. The type, which is housed in a contemporary (but presumed non-original) box, is in three distinct sizes: 13 pieces measure approximately 1.4 (length) x 1.4 (width) x 2.2 (height) cm, 225 measure approximately 1 x 1 x 1.3 cm, and 5 measure 0.5 x 0.5 x 1.1 cm. The multitude of kanji (Chinese characters), few katakana, and lack of hiragana in the set suggest the type was used for printing religious, administrative, medical, and/or academic works. The type was probably produced in the Meiji period, when Japan's rediscovery of movable-type printing revolutionised the country's centuries-old woodblock-based printing industry.

One collection of hand-cut wooden type. A few pieces blank (not carved), others chipped. Housed in contemporary but presumed non-original box, extremities chipped. Box measures 25.5 x 14.5 x 5.6 cm. 

Collection of wooden movable type
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