Edomoji

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title: "Edomoji" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["cjk-typefaces", "japanese-calligraphy", "japanese-writing-system", "japanese-words-and-phrases"] description: "Edo-period Japanese typefaces" topic_path: "geography/japan" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edomoji" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Edo-period Japanese typefaces ::

(or ja are Japanese typefaces invented for advertising during the Edo period. The main styles of ja are ja, found on paper lanterns outside restaurants; ja, used to label ja and drinks like ja and ja; ja, literally "cage letters"; ja, a thick and rectangular seal script; ja, often used on flyers for performances such as kabuki and ja; and ja, a mix of ja and ja.

{{Transliteration|ja|Chōchinmoji}}

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/27/Chochinmoji_sample.png"] ::

characters are the ones used on ja (hanging paper lanterns), such as the ones commonly seen outside ja stands in Japan.

{{Transliteration|ja|Higemoji}}

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ac/Higemoji_sample.png"] ::

characters have little "whiskers" (ja) on them. This style is used for ja and ja signs as well as being a common style for ja labels. While this ja-esque script appears fluid and spontaneous, it follows a strict ruleset based on the Chinese-originating "7–5–3 pattern". The brushstrokes must appear as seven distinct bristle lines, with narrower passages requiring five, and three as the stroke terminates.

{{Transliteration|ja|Kagomoji}}

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/Kagomoji_sample.png"] ::

literally means "cage letters". The characters are thick and square in shape. It is usually used in inverted form or sometimes as an outline.

{{Transliteration|ja|Kakuji}}

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5d/Kakuji_sample.png"] ::

is a very heavy, rectangular style used for making seals and inspired from folded-style Mongolian traditional script.

{{Transliteration|ja|Kanteiryū}}

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6a/Kanteiryu_sample.png"] ::

, also known as ja or , is a style is used for publicity and programmes for arts like kabuki and ja. Invented by Okazakiya Kanroku, the name derives from Okazaki's nickname, .

{{Transliteration|ja|Kabukimoji}}

ja is a style specifically associated with kabuki.

{{Transliteration|ja|Sumōmoji}}

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Sumomoji_sample.png"] ::

, also known as ja or ja, is a style used for sumo wrestling advertisements and programmes.

{{Transliteration|ja|Yosemoji}}

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/ff/Yosemoji_sample.png"] ::

The name is used in Japanese theater. A combination of ja and ja, it was used for posters and flyers, as well as in ja performances (e.g. ja), ja, and ja. Unlike other calligraphic styles, ja allows and even encourages multiple brushstrokes in order to fill in the characters as much as possible.

References

References

1. (1987). "A Lateral View: Essays on Culture and Style in Contemporary Japan. ("Signs and Symbols", 1974)". [[Stone Bridge Press]].
2. Shores, Matthew Wayne. (August 2014). "A Critical Study of Kamigata Rakugo and Its Traditions". [[University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa]].

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::