Special Exhibition 'Worldwide Kappan' to be Held at Ichigaya Letterpress Factory

Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd. (DNP) is pleased to announce the special exhibition 'Worldwide Kappan' (World-wide Letterpress), to be held from June 6 (Sat) to October 25 (Sun), 2026, at its self-operated cultural facility, 'Ichigaya Letterpress Factory' (Ichigaya no Mori Hon to Katsujikan) in Shinjuku, Tokyo.

[About the Exhibition 'Worldwide Kappan'] In various parts of the world, there are still studios casting type, composing plates, and creating books. Many people are dedicated to carefully preserving precious equipment and passing it on to the next generation. This exhibition introduces the people who sustain letterpress printing globally: foundries that continue to produce type, printing houses that set type character by character to produce books, and cultural facilities that transmit these techniques and knowledge to the future.

Letterpress printing using lead alloy type was established by Gutenberg in Mainz, Germany, in the mid-15th century and spread worldwide over time. It took until the 19th century for this technology to take root in Japan. The adoption and establishment of letterpress varied greatly depending on each country's language, characters, and existing printing culture. Even today, as letterpress is no longer the mainstream, activities to connect these techniques and facilities to the future continue.

In 2026, the Ichigaya Letterpress Factory celebrates its 5th anniversary, and DNP celebrates its 150th anniversary. Having started as a letterpress printing office in 1876, the company will guide visitors through the current state of global letterpress printing in this milestone year.

[Overview] - Period: June 6 (Sat) – October 25 (Sun), 2026 - Venue: 2nd Floor Exhibition Room, Ichigaya Letterpress Factory (1-1-1 Ichigaya Kagacho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, within DNP) - Hours: 10:00–18:00 (Closed Mon/Tue; open if holiday) - Admission: Free - Organizer: Ichigaya Letterpress Factory

[About Ichigaya Letterpress Factory] This facility is a 'real factory' that partially reproduces a letterpress workplace, introducing the processes from font design to casting, printing, and binding. It features 'kinetic displays' of early Shōwa-era printing presses in operation and artisans at work, alongside workshops for hands-on crafting experiences.