Kyota sugimoto biography for kids

With several thousand characters to contend with, how were the Japanese able to use typewriters before the advent of digital technology?

Kyota sugimoto biography for kids

The answer is the kanji typewriter (和文タイプライター or 邦文タイプライター), which was invented by Kyota Sugimoto in This invention was deemed so important that it was selected as one of the ten greatest Japanese inventions by the Japanese Patent Office during their th anniversary celebrations in Here are some photos of that first model.

(Photos courtesy Canon Semiconductor Equipment.)

How it works

To understand how the typewriter works, let’s take a look at a more recent model (from Wikipedia &#; Click for a hi-res image):

The actual strikers that produce the type are all separate metal pieces, somewhat like movable type, arranged in a grid in the tray (1) beneath the typewriter.

A handle (2) on the typewriter is used select the character to type from the list (3) of characters shown at the front of the typewriter.

This handle is directly connected to