Tuna, crab, mandarin oranges, bamboo shoots — and the labels that sold them to the world. This chunky little book collects about 550 canned food labels printed in Japan between 1877 and the late 1920s, many of them made for export as the country raced to modernize.
The designs are bold, colorful and surprisingly current: fish leaping across woodblock waves, fruit stacked in tidy pyramids, typography that mixes kanji and confident English. Supervised by the Japan Canners Association, it is a treasure for graphic designers, packaging nerds and anyone who keeps the pretty jar long after the jam is gone.
Supervised by the Japan Canners Association
Published by Seigensha Art Publishing, Kyoto
Softcover, 352 pages, full color
Size: approx. 4.1 × 5.8 in. (10.5 × 14.8 cm)
About 550 labels from 1877 to the late 1920s
Language: Japanese and English
ISBN: 978-4861523465
Color may vary slightly depending on screen settings.
