November 4 The whole Chuo-ku Museum 2018 was held, and there were many joint events with companies that could not normally visit the general public. One of them, I participated in the printing experience of a guide letterpress printing machine at the Mizuno Printing Museum in Irifune 2-chome.
Colombian Press 1850 Manufactured U.K.
I'm surprised at the black glowing thickness of the printing machine you see for the first time arranged on the floor and its size. The first iron printing machine in the world was U.K. around 1800.
Albion Press Machine Manufacturing 1860 U.K.
What I experienced was an albion press machine manufactured at U.K. in 1860. It is said that it has become more compact and simple than the original machine, but you can see how the handle is heavy and how the printing industry was hard work.
With this printing machine, William Morris, who is still popular as a Morris pattern in the back and bedding section of department stores, printed "Chocer Works", one of the most beautiful books in the world.
It's a breathtaking impression of the fine decorations drawn by Morris and the beauty of illustrations. After the book was completed, Morris has discarded all the prints and decorations used to avoid being imitated.
When these Colombian Press and Albion Press machines began to be imported during the Meiji era, Fuji Hirano of Tsukiji Press Works, a pioneer in type printing in Japan, began to manufacture domestic printing machines by imitating them.
In a book of a person related to Chuo-ku, there was Yukichi Fukuzawa's "Recommendation of Learning".
When the first edition was published in 1872, it became a great reputation, and a total of 17 editions were published in 1876. This book became a great bestseller of 3.5 million copies throughout the Meiji era, but the first part of this collection is one of the 10 copies currently confirmed.
In addition, there was a tour report of the Iwakura Mission, which was dispatched for about two years from November 1871 to 1873. (It was Saigo Takamori, who was currently living in Nihonbashi Ningyocho 1-chome, was entrusted with the absence government during this time.)
The "Special Missionary Ambassador to the United States and European Circulars" is printed in print cast by Fuji Hirano and Shozo Motoki of Nagasaki (deciding the later Meiji dynasty type). Furthermore, as evidence of the historical fact that printing-related companies gathered in Ginza Brick Street in the early Meiji era, this book is a publication of Ginza 4-chome Hakumonsha.
Today's introduction was a very part of the Mizuno Printing Museum, which was collected with the idea of "existing the culture where printing exists", but it was the whole Chuo-ku museum where you could meet valuable collections.
You usually need to make a reservation for this tour. If you wish, please call 03-3551-7595 in advance. Since there is only one guide, thank you, thank you.
