At the close of the 16th century, movable type printing technology, introduced from Europe and Korea, brought about a profound transformation in the way classical texts and scholarship, which had primarily relied on manuscripts until the medieval period, were disseminated and enjoyed.

Responding to this new trend of the era, what began to be newly published in Japan were “old movable type editions,” printed primarily using wooden movable type.

I am currently undertaking a comprehensive survey of old movable-type editions held by institutions across Japan. Through these editions, I aim to clarify the realities, background, and human networks of scholarship, the arts, and publishing during the transition from the medieval to the early modern period. My principal work is Culture and Old Movable-Type Editions in the Transition from the Medieval to the Early Modern Period (Benseisha Publishing Inc, 2020).