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Manga, a form of monochrome narrative expression, was produced since its early days using a letterpress, a quite primitive method of printing. Even today, manga magazines such as Weekly Shonen Jump are produced using letterpress rotary printing, commonly known as katsurin. On the other hand, letterpress 'flatbed' printing presses, which were once frequently used for printing proofs and for small print runs, are rarely employed today. Currently, letterpress flatbed presses capable of A2-size printing are in very limited operation, both in Japan and worldwide.
We posed the question as to whether it would be currently possible to produce manga, an expression originally optimised for letterpress printing, using the best possible quality of letterpress printing available today. With the cooperation of Kyodo Printing, which prints Weekly Shonen Jump, we found a letterpress flatbed press in active operation at Tsutatomo Printing in Nagano Prefecture, along with the staff skilled enough to run the press. The paper we use, 'Gmund Cotton Max White', is impressed by the letterpress with strong printing pressure. The resulting unique surface texture has a physical impact that is impossible to reproduce with offset, lithographic or silk-screen printing. When you touch it, you can feel that the printed surface area is concave.
The print series named 'The Press' was awarded the GMUND AWARD 2021 Grand Prize in the art category for its unique expression.
In spring 2023, we heard that Tsutatomo Printing would be going out of business. Surprised by the sudden news, we quickly searched for a company that could deliver large-format letterpress printing. We wondered if we would be able to locate something we could not find three years earlier.
Happily, two companies were discovered. And not only that, but both were also located in Tokyo. One is in Asakusa, and the other is in Kagurazaka.
Nikkodo (Asakusa) uses a Japanese-made printing press. Tokyo Letterpress (Kagurazaka) operates a German-made printing press. Both are valuable printing machines with different features and methods of printing. With the cooperation of each company, verification and research have enabled us to continue producing "The Press" series.
The aim of this collection is to pass on not only compelling manga artwork, but also the printing technology used by rare printing presses to future generations.
A maximum of 14 works are to be sold by lottery.
*They are also scheduled to be sold at Shueisha Manga Art Heritage Tokyo Gallery (Azabudai Hills).
Revisiting manga's roots with flatbed letterpress printing
Since its inception manga, a black and white storytelling medium, has been printed with a letterpress, one of the most primitive methods of printing. Even today, Weekly Shonen Jump and other manga magazines are created using the letterpress rotary printing method commonly known as katsurin.
However, flatbed letterpress machines, once frequently used for proof printing and small print jobs, are rarely in use today. These machines, especially those capable of printing in A2 size, are in very limited operation, both in Japan and around the world.
Is it possible to take manga, which has always been a medium optimized for letterpress, and turn it into artwork using the highest possible quality letterpress?
This is the question that we endeavored to find out.
The Press is the name of a series of works produced by printing with a flatbed letterpress on 100% cotton Gmund Cotton Max White paper.
In 1992, Oda received the Weekly Shonen Jump Tezuka Award for Wanted! Serialization of ONE PIECE began five years later in 1997. In the same year, the first tankobon (individual) volume of the series was released. In 1999, the title was made into an animated series. The first ONE PIECE exhibition was held in 2012.
In 1992, Oda received the 2nd place prize in the 44th Tezuka Award for Wanted! (under the pseudonym "Tsuki Himizu Kikondo"). In 1993, Oda was selected for the 104th Hop Step Award for Ikki Yako. In 2006, ONE PIECE chosen in the Japanese Media Arts Festival 100 Manga Selection. In 2012, Oda received first prize in the 41st Japan Cartoonists Association Award for ONE PIECE. In 2018, Oda received the Kumamoto Prefecture Honorary Award.
The magazine carrying the series was Weekly Shonen Jump, The year the series started was 1997. A heroic pirate adventure story revolving around a treasure known as "One Piece." In this adventure, Monkey D. Luffy sets out to become the King of the Pirates. The work was made into an animated television series in 1999. On June 15, 2015, One Piece attained the Guinness World Record for most copies published for the same comic book series by a single author. The total worldwide circulation exceeds 500 million copies as of August 2022.
For this lottery, we will present works under the following labels.
A Surface with a Physical Impact
With the cooperation of Kyodo Printing Co., Ltd., the company that prints Weekly Shonen Jump, we found a working letterpress flatbed press and the skilled staff able to run the press at Tsutatomo Printing Co., Ltd. in Nagano. Using a letterpress machine manufactured in Germany in the 1960s, the artwork is created using extremely strong pressure on Gmund Cotton Max White, a type of art paper made from 100% cotton. This creates a unique surface with a physical impact that is impossible to achieve using offset, lithographic, or silkscreen printing. When you touch it, you can see that the printed surface is concave.
In spring 2023, we received word that Tsutatomo Printing was ceasing operations, and after an urgent search for a company capable of letterpress printing, we found two companies in Tokyo. Tokyo Letterpress (Kagurazaka) operates a German-made printing press. Nikkodo (Asakusa) uses a Japanese-made printing press. Both are valuable printing machines with different features and methods of printing. With the cooperation of each company, verification and research have enabled us to continue producing "The Press" series.
The aim of this collection is to pass on not only compelling manga artwork, but also the printing technology used by rare printing presses to future generations.
Revisiting manga's roots with flatbed letterpress printing
Since its inception, the black and white storytelling medium known as manga has been produced by the letterpress, the most primitive method of printing. Even today, Shonen Jump and other manga magazines are created using the letterpress rotary printing method commonly known as katsurin.
However, flatbed letterpress machines, which were once frequently used for proof printing and small print jobs, are rarely in use today. These machines, especially those capable of printing in A2 size, are in very limited operation in Japan and around the world.
Is it possible to take manga, which has always been a medium optimized for letterpress, and turn it into artworks using the highest possible quality of letterpress?
This was the question we wanted to answer.
The original box includes a blockchain-linked sales certificate
All works are registered to Startrail PORT, NFT management service. Works include a blockchain-linked sales certificate with an affixed NFC tag sticker (letterpress printed by Kazui Press). You can view the information recorded on the NFT by scanning the NFC tag sticker with a smartphone. We will send you your product in an original Shueisha Manga-Art Heritage box created by Misuzudo.
Work Size A2 (420 mm x 594 mm)
Paper Used Gmund Cotton Max White
Printing Method Letterpress printing
Package Contents
Main product
Blockchain-linked sales certificate (letterpress printed by Kazui Press, linked with NFC tag sticker)
Matte paper
Special paper to absorb harmful substances
Instruction manual
Storage case
from ONE PIECE / Make your choice!!