修悦体 (Shuetsu-tai)

Shuetsu-tai 修悦体 was first created out of necessity in a public setting by security guard Shuetsu Sato 佐藤修悦. It originated around 2004 during a major construction project at JR Shinjuku Station that complicated passenger flow. To prevent confusion among commuters, Shuetsu created this typography, latter called "修悦体 Shuetsu-tai," using duct tape on walls. Although duct tape is typically capable of forming straight lines, Shuetsu carved off the corners to give each characters rounded forms, making this typography more unique. This approach stemmed from Shuetsu’s spirit of hospitality, that he wanted the commuters those who might be stressed by the construction work to feel eased at least a little by seeing the rounded characters.

Shuetsu-tai rapidly became famous in the media at that time and has since left a significant mark on contemporary Japanese typography culture. For example, recently Shuetsu-tai has been adopted for advertisements and store logo for the commercial brand "NIKE SHINJUKU" (art director Shun Sasaki 佐々木俊 suggested collaborating with Shuetsu) in 2026.