Introducing : Tazugane Gothic – a Japanese font with the flair of Neue Frutiger

The Tazugane Gothic typeface family is the first original Japanese typeface created by Monotype. Designed by Akira Kobayashi, Kazuhiro Yamada and Ryota Doi of the Monotype Studio.

Developed as the Japanese version of the popular Neue Frutiger by Adrian Frutiger and Akira Kobayashi, Tazugane Gothic™ is a humanist sans with clear and legible forms.

This sans serif type was designed to set a new standard for the widely used styles most familiar to Japanese readers. It’s goal is to meet the diverse typographic needs of the present day, including use in magazines, books and other print media; in digital devices such as smartphones and tablets; in branding and corporate identity systems; and in signage for buildings, highways and mass transit; and in signage for buildings, highways and mass transit.

Although created with the needs of contemporary designers in mind, Tazugane Gothic remains true to its heritage, and not just through its design DNA. Its name, which means crane, is taken from the Man’yoshu – Japan’s most ancient collection of poetry. Recurring time and again in Japanese art and literature, it’s a symbol of both longevity and beauty.

“I had never heard of the archaic Japanese word for Tazugane but I immediately liked it as it reminded me of the grace and elegance of the crane,” says Kobayashi.

The design of the Tazugane Gothic typeface balances an original, humanistic style with elements of traditional Japanese handwriting. When set together with Neue Frutiger, both typefaces work together in a natural, seamless and adaptable manner so that Japanese and Latin texts can be used side-by-side for a wide range of applications.

The Tazugane Gothic typeface has 10 different weights, from Ultra Light to Extra Black. It contains OpenType functions including proportional metrics and kerning. Like the Neue Frutiger typeface, Tazugane Gothic features ten different weights, ranging from Ultra Light to Extra Black.