Old Shop Sign Collection, Shinbanba

Showa Neon Kanban Takamura Goro Museum

Allan Murphy Oct 21, 2013 - 1 min read

Showa Neon's sign in front of the building doesn't suggest what can be found inside

... and this is best: View on entering the museum

Stationery store; mokekanban; when literacy increased in the middle of the Edo period there was a large demand for writing implements. Customers could request from a range of animals which to be used fur for their brushes.

Left, drugstore; right, drugstore for women, specializing in irregular period treatment

Center, shamoyi-ya, rice "scoop" shop, Matsuki Shoten, specializing in Kaneshin scoops

The company holding the sign collection was originally established in 1922 as Takamura Kamban-ten, but it later changed its name to Showa Neon Kogyō-sho. While today the company deals with modern sign boards, especially neon signs, there is this incredible collection of old shop signs, which have been collected since the late-Edo period. Have a look at my related article to find out more.

Allan Murphy @allan.murphy

Although I consider Vancouver to be my home, I'm an army brat and grew up in London, Ont., Birkenhead, UK; Soest, West Germany (then); and Petawawa, Ont. As a result, I became a rolling stone: lived in China (Chengdu), Western Auatralia and about 30 years in Japan. It ain't over yet.