Worldwide Kappan

Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd. (DNP) presents the exhibition “Worldwide Kappan” at Ichigaya Letterpress Factory, operated by DNP in Shinjuku, Tokyo. The exhibition will be held from June 6 through October 25, 2026.

Embark on a journey about letterpress printing. There are still places that make books by casting and setting movable type. And there are many people working to carefully preserve precious equipment for future generations. Where are they? How many are left?

This exhibition presents people around the world who underpin the continued existence of letterpress printing—type foundries still making movable type, printers producing books by printing with movable type set one letter at a time, and cultural facilities passing on this technology and knowledge.

The printing press using movable metal type made of a lead alloy was invented in the mid-fifteenth century by Johannes Gutenberg in Mainz (present-day Germany), and gradually spread throughout the world. In the nineteenth century, such letterpress technology took root in far-off Japan, where it is called kappan printing. How letterpress printing was introduced and took root throughout the world differed greatly depending on the language, writing system, and printing culture of each country. Today, publishers no longer consider letterpress to be a mainstream printing technique, but there are efforts around the world to ensure that the technology and equipment are not lost.

The year 2026 is the fifth anniversary of the opening of Ichigaya Letterpress Factory and the 150th anniversary of the founding of Dai Nippon Printing as a letterpress printing company in 1876. This exhibition marks these milestones by looking at letterpress printing throughout the world in 2026.

Dates: June 6 to October 25, 2026

Closed Mondays and Tuesdays, except when those days are public holidays.

Venue: Ichigaya Letterpress Factory, 2nd floor gallery

1-1-1 Ichigaya Kagacho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo

Tel: 03-6386-0555

Hours: 10:00–18:00

Admission free

Organizer: Ichigaya Letterpress Factory (Dai Nippon Printing Co., Ltd.)

Exhibition Design: Hitomi Nakazawa (CBK Co., Ltd.)

Graphics: Tsugumi Arai (1Q design studio)

Related Events:

In celebration of the 150th anniversary of Dai Nippon Printing, ginza graphic gallery (ggg: Ginza, Tokyo), Kyoto ddd Gallery (Kyoto), and Ichigaya Letterpress Factory (Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo) present exhibitions about letterpress printing: Dafi Kühne: Constructing Posters at ginza graphic gallery (July 14 to August 26, 2026), Alan Kitching: Living Legacy of Letterpress at Kyoto ddd Gallery (August 28 to October 21, 2026), and Worldwide Kappan at Ichigaya Letterpress Factory (June 6 to October 25, 2026). There is also a stamp rally. Visitors who collect stamps from all three venues will receive a delightful gift.