When looking at the word "Kanban" today, we normally think about a Japanese manufacturing system that might include a phase of advertising, but not the concept of "Old World Japan Signage," the literal meaning of the compound is kan "see" and ban, "board." Kanban's were traditional shop signs used by merchants to advertise and give shop identity to those that might be illiterate. It is the integration of pictorial, graphic and craftsmanship that communicates everyday commerce.
The signboards were designed to advertise the businesses, and to encourage the passerby to drop in and browse. In the Tokugawa and Meiji periods of Japan, signs were created by craftsmen, frequently carving, painting, and lettering the signs that were mounted outside the store. These signs had to be more than great graphic design, they had to be created to withstand the weather. Some craftsmen used crushed shell in their paint to provide a more resilient surface. Some signs included lacquer, refined calligraphy, and gold leaf designed to create an appealing manner and capture the customer's attention.
The traditional shop signs were mobile. Shopkeepers took their signs in at the end of the business day. So signs have embedded heavy metal eyelets or handles used to hang on hooks or clips outside the shop. As time has gone on, old sign boards were replaced with shiny new metal, plastic and neon, and only a few collectors thought of saving the old signs.
Now days, decorators and art connoisseurs collect the best Kanbans for decorative purposes, and scholars search for the best examples for museum exhibits. Collectors look for Tokugawa and Meiji merchant signs that have creative and witty designs. Included below are three stunning works where craftsmanship was integral to signage: Tobacco Signboard, Candy Shop Sign and Money Lender/Exchange Sign.
Tobacco Signboard:
The "Daruma" a popular symbol of good fortune in Japan, Appears frequently on kanban advertising a variety of products. Here the Daruma identifies with a brand of tobacco. It is most likely sugi wood that was deeply carved in an intricate tobacco leaf pattern and covered with a sealer made from powdered clam shells, and lacquer. His protruding eye gives this Daruma a wonderful fierce look. Meiji Period.
Candy Shop Sign:
The tanuki or badger is created with magical and supernatural powers. In appearance he resembles a raccoon-faced dog and in the many folk tales told of his exploits, he is depicted as mischievous and pleasure-loving. He is said to appear on rainy moonless nights disguised as a mendicant Buddhist priest and exhibits an inordinate capacity for sake. He is frequently portrayed in a priest's hat, a straw raincoat bulging over a belly full of sake, with a wine bottle slung over his shoulder. He is often placed before shops as a figure of welcome. This tanuki lured customers to buy o-kashi, sweets, advertised on his belly. Carved wood with rock paint on the calligraphy, and traces of gold leaf.
Money Lender/Exchange Sign:
The shape of the money exchange symbol derives from an ancient weight used to calculate the value of precious metals and become the recognized mark of a banking institution. Painted kanji characters on carved wood.
Footnote: Special thanks goes to Frank Gibney, writer and scholar. Mr. Gibney learned Japanese while he was in the Navy during WWII and was stationed in Japan. He went on to serve as a journalist in Tokyo. His scholarly work, "KANBAN Shop Signs of Japan" was heavy quoted in this blog.
Frank Gibney, Kanban - Shop Signs of Japan (Tokyo, Weatherhill, 1983) pages: 135, 138, 148, 165.
The signboards were designed to advertise the businesses, and to encourage the passerby to drop in and browse. In the Tokugawa and Meiji periods of Japan, signs were created by craftsmen, frequently carving, painting, and lettering the signs that were mounted outside the store. These signs had to be more than great graphic design, they had to be created to withstand the weather. Some craftsmen used crushed shell in their paint to provide a more resilient surface. Some signs included lacquer, refined calligraphy, and gold leaf designed to create an appealing manner and capture the customer's attention.
The traditional shop signs were mobile. Shopkeepers took their signs in at the end of the business day. So signs have embedded heavy metal eyelets or handles used to hang on hooks or clips outside the shop. As time has gone on, old sign boards were replaced with shiny new metal, plastic and neon, and only a few collectors thought of saving the old signs.
Now days, decorators and art connoisseurs collect the best Kanbans for decorative purposes, and scholars search for the best examples for museum exhibits. Collectors look for Tokugawa and Meiji merchant signs that have creative and witty designs. Included below are three stunning works where craftsmanship was integral to signage: Tobacco Signboard, Candy Shop Sign and Money Lender/Exchange Sign.
Tobacco Signboard:
The "Daruma" a popular symbol of good fortune in Japan, Appears frequently on kanban advertising a variety of products. Here the Daruma identifies with a brand of tobacco. It is most likely sugi wood that was deeply carved in an intricate tobacco leaf pattern and covered with a sealer made from powdered clam shells, and lacquer. His protruding eye gives this Daruma a wonderful fierce look. Meiji Period.
Candy Shop Sign:
The tanuki or badger is created with magical and supernatural powers. In appearance he resembles a raccoon-faced dog and in the many folk tales told of his exploits, he is depicted as mischievous and pleasure-loving. He is said to appear on rainy moonless nights disguised as a mendicant Buddhist priest and exhibits an inordinate capacity for sake. He is frequently portrayed in a priest's hat, a straw raincoat bulging over a belly full of sake, with a wine bottle slung over his shoulder. He is often placed before shops as a figure of welcome. This tanuki lured customers to buy o-kashi, sweets, advertised on his belly. Carved wood with rock paint on the calligraphy, and traces of gold leaf.
Money Lender/Exchange Sign:
The shape of the money exchange symbol derives from an ancient weight used to calculate the value of precious metals and become the recognized mark of a banking institution. Painted kanji characters on carved wood.
Footnote: Special thanks goes to Frank Gibney, writer and scholar. Mr. Gibney learned Japanese while he was in the Navy during WWII and was stationed in Japan. He went on to serve as a journalist in Tokyo. His scholarly work, "KANBAN Shop Signs of Japan" was heavy quoted in this blog.
Frank Gibney, Kanban - Shop Signs of Japan (Tokyo, Weatherhill, 1983) pages: 135, 138, 148, 165.
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