Two series, four stages

Two Tokyos

Stage 3 prints are characterized not only by their cherubs, but also by their bold calligraphy, which emulates the masthead of the source newspaper -- including its use of 東亰 rather than 東京 for "Tōkyōo".

The city that replaced Edo in 1868 has been called "Tōkyōo" or "Tōkei" and written 東亰 or 東京. Today the city is usually called "Tōkyōo" and written 東京 -- but 東亰 can be seen on older brass plates, and has a calligraphic patina that invites usage even today to create an air of antiquity, however artifical.

Copped and cropped from Newspark 2001

Tokyo nichinichi shinbun was launched in 1872 as a woodblock-printed paper under a masthead that read 東亰日日新聞. The characters 日日 were stylized as 眞 and 正 inside 口口 -- meaning that the "news" (新聞 shinbun) was "true and accurate" (真正 shinsei). 真正新聞 is still a common expression today -- in Chinese -- for authentic, veracious news.

The stylized characters were dropped in favor of just 日日. But even after the paper switched to metal type, its masthead continued to be printed by using plates engraved from brushed calligraphy using 東亰 rather than 東京. Tonichi continued to be published under such a masthead until it became Mainichi Shinbun in 1943.

Tokyo Asahi Shinbun also used 東亰 in its calligraphic mastheads until after World War II.

Metal-type representations of the name of the paper, however, were 東京. Formally the paper was called 東京日日新聞, though the colophons of books published by the newspaper company sometimes used 東亰.

The masthead, whether written horizonitally or vertically, used 東亰 and 日日 (Figures 1 and 3). Titles inside the paper, however, were likely to reduce 日日 to 日々 (Figure 1). Supplements distributed with the newspaper were also likely to reduce 日日 to 日々 or even 日〃 (Figure 3).

Tonichi's original standard was a highly stylized 東亰日日新聞 that ran from right to left across the top, like that of the first issue. By the end of 1872, when Japan officially shifted from the lunar to the solar calendar, Tonichi was printing its standard 東京日々新聞 down the right side -- in other words, more simply and veritically. 東亰 gave way to 東京 and 日日 became 日々.

The font of the new verticial standard was that of a brush style. The standard kanji ditto mark 々 -- a cursive form of 同, which means "same" -- was represented by a further reduction that looks like a reversed 〃.

By no later than the end of 1873, the font had become that of an angular style with the standard ditto mark. This style was closely emulated on Stage 1 and Stage 2 TNS banners.

By no later than the spring of 1875, Tonichi had gone back to using 東亰日日新聞 for its standard, written horizonitally in a bold brush style. Though the name of the paper might be written 東京日々新聞 elsewhere, the formal standard remained the boldly brushed 東亰日日新聞 until Tonichi's demise in 1942.

Wood blocks, metal type, wood type

It took Tonichi the better part of a year to make the translation from wood blocks to metal type. The evolutionary trail was not straight, but turned back on itself and meandered. (Mainichi 1972:422-428, and color plate in front matter)

Issue 1 by wood blocks

Issue 1 was published from wood blocks in the conventional way. Its standard (at the top) and its colophon (to the left) were printed in a dark brown. The articles and an illustration were black. The characters 官許 (kankyo), meaning that the paper was officially approved, was stamped in vermillion on the edge of the standard in the upper right corner.

Issues 1 through 372 were printed on washi. Only about 1,000 copies of Issue 1 were made. A number of reproductions of Issue 1 were made, some of them on washi about the same size -- roughly 46 cm wide by 31 cm tall. The images shown in publications are likely to be of reproductions.

The images shown in Mainichi Shinbun's 100th aniversary publications are of genunine copies. The image shown in Newspark 2000 appears to be of a reproduction.

Issues 2-11 by lead type

Issues 2 to 11 were published on a foot press from Shanghai using a Mincho font lead type. But the publishers went back to wood blocks from Issue 12.

Nipposha announced that it was discontinuing the lead-type press because, with Issue 11, it had used all the paper it had preprinted with the Tonichi standard and colophon.

They had used the press and lead type to commemorate Tonichi's start. Apparently the new technology proved to be too labor intensive and limiting. (Mainichi 1972:426-427).

Issues 12-117 by wood blocks

From Issue 12, and for about four months, Tonichi publishers returned to using wood blocks -- the technology they knew like. The standard and colophon of Issues 12 and 13 were dark blue. For Issues 14 to 16 they were light a blue close to light green, and for Issues 17 to 29 they were the same brown as the Issue 1. Everything because just black from Issue 30. The characters 官許 (kankyo), meaning that the paper was officially approved, were printed in vermillion on Issues 21 through 29. (Mainichi 1972:427)

Issues 117-303 by moveable wood type

Two features of particular interest are boxed remarks on "Toukei nichinichi" (page 571) and the ways in which Tonichi's name was written on its masthead (page 572). For a full discussion of these two topics, see Tonichi mastheads: Graphic changes in printing technology. (WW)

Copped and cropped from Newspark 2001

"Tōkyō" and "Tōkei"

CCMA 2008 states that "東亰 (とうけい [tōkei]) is a different name for 東京 that was used until the middle of the Meiji period, but gradually it came not to be used" (page 79). This statement, though, is very misleading.

The character 亰 was merely a popular variation of 京. The character 京/東 can be pronounced kyō (kiyou, kiyau;), kei, and kin -- its three Sino-Japanese readings in chronological order -- its Go (Wu = pre-Tang), Kan (Han = Tang, Chang'an), and Tō (Tang = Song, Yuan, Ming, Qing) readings.

Both 東京 and 東亰 could be pronounced either "tōkei" or "tōkyō". People most at the time probably called the city Tōkyō and read both 東京 and 東亰 the same way.

The continued use of 東亰 on the Tonichi masthead -- and then on Stage 3 TNS banners -- was merely a graphic affectation. In fact, 東亰 contininued to be use in the Tonichi masthead -- and in stylized colophons of the name of the newspaper company in other Tonichi publications -- until the paper became Mainichi Shinbun from 1 January 1943.

Today, 京 is read "kei" in many compounds -- including 京浜 (Keihin) -- an abbreviation of 東京・横浜 (Tōkyō-Yokohama).

Sources

Mainichi Shinbun Hyakunenshi Kanko Iinkai
[Mainichi News 100-year History Publication Committee (editors)
Mainichi shinbun hyakunen shi: 1872-1972
Mainichi news 100-year history: 1872-1972
Tokyo: Mainichi Shinbun Sha, 1972
622 pages, paper cover, boxed [hibaihin (not for sale)]

Mainichi celebrated its 70th anniversay in 1952, its 90th in 1962, and its 100th in 1972. The ten year jump MAINICHI 70TH ANNIVERSARY 毎日新聞七十年 社史編纂委員会、毎日新聞社、1冊、昭27 毎日新聞社　蔵印　函に記名　Ａ５　６３９ MAINICHI 90TH ANNIVERSARY 毎日新聞九十年　ーその歩みの中からー １冊、昭３７ 毎日新聞社 函痛みあり 非売品 毎日新聞社

Series 1 TNS prints -- August 1874 to August 1875

Stage 0 TNS banner

Stage 0 masthead

This flyer announced the forthcoming series of nishikie to be based stories in the "Tokyo nichinichi shinbun" broadsheet. See Tokyo nichinichi shinbun onishiki for a full description of this print.

Two features of this print are of interest here.

Name of newspaper

The banner and the text on the print refer to the source of the forthcoming 大錦 (ōnishiki) series as 東京日日新聞 (Tōkyō nichinichi shinbun) and 日日新聞 (Nichinichi shinbun). However, all banners of the nishikie series show variations of the title 東京日々新聞 (Tōkyō nichinichi shinbun).

In other words, 日日 (nichinichi) refers to the newspaper, whereas 日々 (nichi ditto == nichinichi) refers to the nishikie.

Cherubs

The cherub on the left is looking down and to his left -- at the text if not at the other cherub. The cherub on the right is looking to his right -- apparently at the text.

Stage 1 TNS banners

Stage 1 mastheads

1874-8 to 1874-10

The cherub on the left is looking down and a bit to his right.

Some 22 TNS prints feature this style of cherub. 17 have approval seals -- including 2 M7-8, 6 M7-9, 7 M7-10卍, and 2 M7-10Ｘ. All prints with M7-10卍 seals are associated with this group.

Only 5 prints in this group, 23 percent, have no seals -- the lowest no-seal rate of all stages. However, the average lag time is 15.0 months -- the longest.

Souvenir focus on past events

The print shown here is No. 50. Its story, though, was based on an article published in issue No. 48 of the newspaper on Meiji 5-4-13 (13 April 1873). It bears an approval seal for Meiji 7-9 (September 1874). So the lag between the newspaper and the print was about 29 months.

Stage 2 TNS banners

Stage 2 mastheads

The cherub on the left is looking more toward us with a full face but slightly downcast eyes. This example is from TNS-984.

Stage 2 mastheads

With "rotated ju" (Ｘ) seal

Most Stage 2 mastheads have a "rotated ju" (Ｘ) approval seal (aratamein) immediately below the title in the center of the title banner. This example is from TNS-491.

Stage 3 TNS banners

Other features of Stage 3 prints

Bold banner calligraphy

The banners somewhat vary within each stage, especially regarding their often rainbow colors. However, some changes in the banner are coincident with changes in cherub style. There is no significant change in the banner going from Stage 1 to Stage 2, but in Stage 3 the banner is conspicuously different from earlier banners in that the calligraphy is done with much bolder, thicker strokes.

Series numbers introduced

Also beginning from Stage 3, which featured both a new cherub on the left and a bolder banner, is the practice of printing a series number above the publishing data on the lower left border of each print. The numbers progress from 1 to 9 from the first to the last of the Stage 3 prints, namely Numbers 1043 to 1060, like this: 1, 2, 3, 7, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9.

That's right. There are ten Stage 3 prints, and two of them (Numbers 1046 and 1055) share the number 7. No. 1055 has the same number design as the others in this group, whereas the number design of No. 1046 is different.

Why there are two prints with the same number is a mystery. The main point here is that the last spurt of prints, which featured issue numbers on the banner, also bore series numbers on the border. This sudden appearance of series numbers, corresponding with a change in banner design, also defines Stage 3 of the Yubin hochi shinbun nishikie series.

Stage 3 mastheads

The cherub on the left is looking a bit down and to his left -- our right. The calligraphy on the banner is bold. This example is from TNS-1047.

Series 2 TNS prints -- November to December 1876

Stage 4 TNS banners

Highlights of Stage 4 TNS news nishikie

There are four nominally Stage 4 prints -- one of which should probably not be included in the TNS series.

Stage 4 prints are characterized by the following traits.

1. They were not drawn by Yoshiiku.

2. All were published within a few weeks of each other at the end of 1876, over fifteen months after the last Stage 3 prints were published in August 1875.

3. All feature stories about civil unrest contributed to the outbreak of the Seinan War in early 1877 -- to the exclusion of all other topics -- which make them highly unlike the main TNS series, and more like other prints about civil unrest.

4. All bear notification (御届 otodoke) stamps showing the date their publication was reported to the authorities, and the names and address of their drawers and publishers.

5. Three of the Stage 4 prints feature Stage 2 cherubs with variations of the characters for "Tokyo" on Stage 3 banners. The fourth Stage 4 print has no cherubs and no banner, and the characters for "Tokyo" are those on Stage 1 and Stage 2 banners.

6. Prints bear no issue numbers and are otherwise not associated with known Tonichi stories.

There are only three true Stage 4 TNS prints -- TNS-9003, TNS-9004, and TNS-9006. All are triptychs by Seisai Yoshimura.

Two prints, TNS-9001 and TNS-9002, are not true Stage 4 prints but actually Stage 2 prints which did not get numbered for reasons we will consider below. They are included here simply because they have no numbers.

One print, TNS-9005, is not a true TNS news nishikie but part of another series. It is included here simply because Tsuchiya has included it with TNS prints on her CD-ROM (Bunsei Shoin 2000).

For a detailed overview of all unnumbered TNS prints, see TNS unnumbered prints.

Stage 4 mastheads

Stage 4 prints are not part of the main TNS nishikie project. They were done a year later, by another designer/writer team. For reasons that are not clear, the publisher resurrected Stage 2 cherubs from their shallow grave.

So the cherubs on the left of the following Stage 4 triptychs are Stage 2 cherubs. The calligraphy is done with the thinner strokes of Stage 2 banners.

TNS-9003 masthead

TNS-9004 masthead

Anomally

The TNS-9003 banner is distinct in that it represents 東京 as 「東亰」 and 日々 as nichinichi as 「日二」(written vertically).