Gaffer Tape Art in Tokyo’s Train Stations

When there was yet another construction project blocking access to parts of Shinjuku station, the biggest of Tokyo’s train stations, going on in 2003, train guard Shuetsu Sato took matters in his own hands and started taping signage in huge Japanese characters with masking tape in clever ways, just so passangers could find their way around. His transient tape art became so popular that film artist collective TrioFour eventually made a documentary about Sato’s unique guide system. PingMag talked to TrioFour member Hikaru Yamashita about the making of their “The Shinjuku Gaffer Tape Guide” and their current exhibition of Sato’s work in Koenji.

Written by Ryoko
Translated by Junko

It was in the winter of 2003 when TrioFour member Hikaru Yamashita first noticed a unique sign with huge letters in one area of Shinjuku JR Station.

”I had seen these signs several times and been wondering about it. More surprisingly, they were made of something that looked like masking tape! Around that time, we were thinking about doing a film and when I told the others about the masking tape signage I’d seen in the station, they were all like “That sounds cool! Let’s do it!”

Hikaru Yamashita tried to find out who made these signs. Finally one day, he got a call telling him to “Go to Shinjuku Station right away! The person you’ve been looking for is just now making something!” Hikaru Yamashita ran to the place - and there he saw a guard, Shuetsu Sato, creating a new sign with gaffer tape!

”I remember that in the beginning, Mr. Sato wasn’t friendly at all. Later, he told me that me approaching him seemed kind of troublesome… However, he was much nicer in our second meeting. He agreed to do an interview and to demonstrate his skills on our live show,” Hikaru Yamashita says.

Shuetsu Sato’s first work in Shinjuku Station.

Shuetsu Sato with one of his works: a board with the taped “cool breeze”!

When Shuetsu Sato came to Tokyo a few decades ago, he started work as a banker. Later he did the lettering for Japanese newspapers which, in earlier times, were all handwritten one character at a time and then photocopied! Afterwards, working as a train guard, the idea for taped signage came from Shuetsu Sato himself out of simple pragmatism: He just wanted to give people better information and accessibility in the confusing station. When he first made a sign leading to the platforms, it was very well received. Naturally, the station officials asked him to go on with this.

“Many people create something because they long for attention from others, but Mr. Sato is different… He just wanted to offer more safety and better accessibility for the passengers. I really do respect that,” Hikaru Yamashita says.

Shuetsu Sato’s own handwriting. Looks quite unique!

A sign at the entrance of Sato’s current exhibition in Koenji (info below).

Shuetsu Sato used to feel bad about his handwriting, so he mastered the Gothic font in school. Since then, he always uses this type of writing and has gone on to develop his own original style.

This kanji means “valley,” but shaped in a very inventive way!

Sato’s work is now even called the “Shuetsu font” by some people! Here you see one of his signs in a passage way.

”For our previous films, we did many interviews and so often people didn’t have any clear concept or idea behind what they created. However, when we asked Mr. Sato why he drew his Kanji characters in such stylized, rounded shapes, he answered: “This soft look makes people feel better while walking around a busy station.” What a wonderful idea! Also, I think his kanji characters look friendly because of their unevenness. As they are all handmade, they don’t look like perfect printed characters. Maybe that’s why they feel so familiar and are easy to read. They feel so warm…,” Hikaru Yamashita explains.

Demonstration in the exhibition

The tape art stages: 1. Shuetsu Sato is making orderly frames…

2. …then taping the characters on top of the frames.

3. The cutting process for softening the corners for a roundish look.

4. That was fast! Finally, he takes the frames off. It took just 15 minutes for the entire process!

Shuetsu Sato’s very first exhibition was organised by TrioFour and is being held at a thrift store called “Shirouto-no-Ran” in the lively Tokyo neighbourhood of Koenji. The opening party included a live performance creating the word “mikansei,” meaning “incompletion”. Hikaru Yamashita wanted to add an interesting point for “complete incompletion”…

Thanks to TrioFour’s inquisitiveness and enthusiasm, Shuetsu Sato’s works aren’t just some of the many station signs you don’t pay too much attention to. Their curiosity lead to this wonderful documentary introducing this talented man. Great job, TrioFour!

Gaffer tape signage creator, Shuetsu Sato (left) and Hikaru Yamashita of TrioFour.

TrioFour - just four of them made it today.

Thank you, TrioFour! Looking forward to your next project!
P.S: See Shuetsu Sato making his wonderful signage at Pecha Kucha in February, 2008, on Flickr!

Now hurry up! Sato’s exhibition ends this Sunday, September 2nd!

Exhibition Info

TrioFour presents: Sato Shuetsu - Genzai-chi

Location: Shiroto-no-Ran, 3-12-1 Koenji-kita, Tokyo. Map

Running through this Sunday, September 2nd.

Open: 2pm to 9pm

Entrance Free

43 Comments

1. It will always amaze me how seriously some people take their job in Japan, even if it’s just a seemingly trivial one as “train guardian”.

   I love that “Shuetsu” type face ;)

   Posted by: Julio on August 30th, 2007 at 9:15 pm

2. amazing skill and so stylish!

   Posted by: curious pig on August 30th, 2007 at 9:15 pm

3. woow..i never thought the tape is so much usefull other than sticking papers :)

   Posted by: kus on August 30th, 2007 at 11:56 pm

4. Wow…that’s neat. Skillful and imaginative use of ape indeed!

   Posted by: maki on August 31st, 2007 at 1:46 am

5. tape…oops sorry for the typos

   Posted by: maki on August 31st, 2007 at 1:47 am

6. nice what

   Posted by: masashigoh on August 31st, 2007 at 1:59 am

7. [...] PingMag - The Tokyo-based magazine about “Design and Making Things” » Archive » Gaffer Tape Ar… (tags: art design japan tape urban signs inspiration technique) [...]

   Posted by: Federico Feroldi’s blog » Blog Archive » links for 2007-08-30 on August 31st, 2007 at 5:21 am

8. This man is a genius.

   Posted by: Akai on August 31st, 2007 at 7:22 am

9. Super cool, I wonder where one could get a variety of tape like that.

   Posted by: Dan on August 31st, 2007 at 7:25 am

10. Actually, just found this if anyone is interested. http://www.uline.com/BrowseListing3110.asp?pricode=wf725

    Posted by: Dan on August 31st, 2007 at 7:26 am

11. This would be great for graffiti purposes!

    Posted by: Niq on August 31st, 2007 at 11:26 am

12. Brilliant now that’s something i like to see in this site. not the last article. keep it going boys n girls

    Posted by: yummymummy on August 31st, 2007 at 3:25 pm

13. kawaiiiiiii

    Posted by: Anonymous on August 31st, 2007 at 3:31 pm

14. [...] Check out PingMag for more info. [...]

    Posted by: Include Digital Blog » Blog Archive » The wonder of gaffer tape on August 31st, 2007 at 10:04 pm

15. [...] Friday August 31st 2007, 2:44 pm Filed under: Typography, Photography, Art, Design, Inspiration Pingmag has a really amazing little piece about the use of gaffa tape signs in Japan. [...]

    Posted by: Gaffa Tape Signs « Nascent Ideas on August 31st, 2007 at 10:44 pm

16. I love Japan characters! On its own, it’s beautiful! Now, I just have to learn how to read them =D

    Posted by: Christina L. on September 1st, 2007 at 10:17 am

17. [...] TapeType 1 september 2007 Ze waren de Shinjuku train station - de grootste in Tokyo- aan het verbouwen, en station bewaker Shuetsu Sato kreeg genoeg dat men de weg niet kon vinden, dus begon hij met het maken van wegwijzeringen met simpel gekleurde plakband. Nu wordt zijn werk in galeriën tentoongesteld. Lees alles erover op Pingmag. [...]

    Posted by: TapeType « BladBlog on September 1st, 2007 at 6:50 pm

18. I really enjoyed this. The quality of the final lettering is impressive.

    Posted by: mark on September 2nd, 2007 at 2:46 pm

19. [...] September 2, 2007 at 11:08 am | In culture, art, design | PingMag has a great article up about Gaffer Tape Art in Tokyo train [...]

    Posted by: The Hidden Art of Gaffer Tape « TINY GEMS on September 3rd, 2007 at 12:08 am

20. I went to the exhibition.. bought a few things from the shop, too. Great work! Very clever. Positive comments from a little old lady, too. She said Sato-san’s work doesn’t only look cool, but for her and many others with bad eyesight, it truly is helpful.

    Posted by: Samantha on September 3rd, 2007 at 3:03 pm

21. Must. Learn. The. Art. Of. Gaffer. Tape.

    Who will teach me?

    Posted by: Laynie on September 3rd, 2007 at 8:34 pm

22. [...] Shuetsu Sato è un vero figo. Partito come autodidatta, ha iniziato a comporre dei segnali stradali nel caso di lavori in corso per fornire indicazioni ad esempio nelle labirintiche stazioni giapponesi (Shinjuku di Tokio è la stazione piu grande del mondo). Col tempo ha affinato la tecnica ed è arrivato a creare delle curve e linee quasi perfette utilizzando solo del nastro adesivo. Grazie a Francesco per la dritta! Konnichiwa! [Image] [...]

    Posted by: Think.BigChief » Blog Archive » Gaffer Tape Art in Tokyo’s Train Stations on September 5th, 2007 at 6:38 pm

23. Wow, I want to learn it too. Might be even cheaper then making special vinyl stickers.

    Posted by: Chung Dha on September 7th, 2007 at 8:37 pm

24. Now I know what I do with all that Gaffer tape I collected when I was younger….

    Posted by: Shantell Martin on September 8th, 2007 at 10:28 pm

25. ºOº I make Julio words my words!

    Posted by: pricca on September 9th, 2007 at 8:18 pm

26. [...] Gaffer Tape Art in Tokyo’s Train Stations (tags: font typography design) [...]

    Posted by: Magnetbox - links for 2007-09-14 on September 14th, 2007 at 10:25 am

27. I was attracted to this article and display because, I have been selling Gaffer tape or Duct tape to the camera trade for many years. It’s use to hold down electrical cords during photo shoots,etc. Never did it occur to me that it can be useful in graphics as a means of communication. This was a wonderful article illustrating Art by any Means.

    Posted by: irvrpoth on September 15th, 2007 at 4:42 am

28. Typographyyyyyy!!!

    Posted by: yaschan on September 18th, 2007 at 6:33 am

29. i do tape art

    Posted by: mitchell on November 1st, 2007 at 1:10 am

30. [...] Shuetsu Sato: Tape letters Category: Art, Film, Typography http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_tm0tQWmjSc When a construction project blocked access to parts of Shinjuku station train guard Shuetsu Sato took matters into his own hands and started taping signage in huge Japanese characters with masking tape. The above video was produced by the artist collective TrioFour. More images can be found here. [...]

    Posted by: where we play » Blog Archive » Shuetsu Sato: Tape letters on November 4th, 2007 at 6:49 am

31. [...] Tokyo-based PingMag introduces the world to the art of Shuetsu Sato. He’s a guard at Tokyo’s largest train station but sometimes he constructs huge signs directing the passengers where they need to go. He makes the letters for these signs out of masking tape. His transient tape art became so popular that film artist collective TrioFour eventually made a documentary about Sato’s unique guide system. PingMag talked to TrioFour member Hikaru Yamashita about the making of their “The Shinjuku Gaffer Tape Guide” and their current exhibition of Sato’s work in Koenji. [...]

    Posted by: The man behind the masking tape | Tightgrid on November 15th, 2007 at 11:54 pm

32. [...] PingMag - The Tokyo-based magazine about “Design and Making Things” » Archive » Gaffer Tape Ar… When there was yet another construction project blocking access to parts of Shinjuku station in 2003, train guard Shuetsu Sato took matters in his own hands and started taping huge Japanese characters with masking tape in clever ways. (tags: design art graphics typography inspiration) [...]

    Posted by: links for 2007-11-17 on November 17th, 2007 at 10:27 am

33. pingmag is the best i think. when i see it im in trouble

    Posted by: kurye on February 22nd, 2008 at 4:31 am

34. sickkkkkkk! jap character’s are awesome!

    Posted by: drew on May 13th, 2008 at 12:20 am

35. [...] guy is really talented. [1] [...]

    Posted by: Siuyee Presents… » Project 366 2008 July4 186/366 on July 5th, 2008 at 1:31 pm

36. [...] And finally, a cool story about a man, a train station and a whole lotta gaffer’s tape. (Thanks, [...]

    Posted by: Speedlinks - 9/1/07 | Cosa de Chicos on September 6th, 2008 at 11:53 am

37. [...] 有好感的原因首先上因为日文字体和中文字体本身就有所联系，出于对中文字体设计的期盼，对日文字体设计也就有了浓厚的兴趣，遇到了大叔这样有才华的民间设计师，十分羡慕。二是因为有几次路过那种有老字体的小卖部，觉得全国各地的小卖部上的手写雕刻体十分相似，就想过了应该收集整理，并且加以规范成为一种象征了民间才智的字体。没想到这种想法已经被日本大叔实现了。三是因为大叔的字体设计，形式和功能的完美结合，给那些炫耀和沉溺于技术和虚妄的字体设计一个朴实的榜样。去看看原载地址 [...]

    Posted by: 修悦体 | luluinwater on September 20th, 2008 at 4:46 am

38. [...] Visto en PingMag [en]. [...]

    Posted by: Señalética de superviviencia » MakeMeMinimal on November 27th, 2008 at 5:19 pm

39. [...] Pingmag기사 (원문) [...]

    Posted by: 도쿄기차역의 접착테이프 아트 « Real Salty Salt on December 13th, 2008 at 2:02 am

40. [...] came to the attention of some artists who made a documentary about him and has now even appeared in a pop promo making one of his [...]

    Posted by: Japanese Gaffer Tape Signage » しあわせ on January 27th, 2009 at 2:15 am

41. [...] 　千葉県勝浦に行ってきました。昨日の関東はメッチャ寒かった!! 取材後打合せで新宿に移動。新宿駅でガムテープタイポグラフィーアートを発見しました。ときどきテレビでも紹介されてますね。このアートを知ったきっかけは、ハンズブロガーでもあるトムさんのサイトでした（詳細はリンクからジャンプしてみてください）。pingmag。このサイト、独特の切り口で日本のアートを世界に発信していました。惜しまれつつも2008年末に休刊されてしまったのですが、いまでも閲覧はできるようです。こういうアンテナ、ボクも大切にしていきたいと思います。写真は、2007年にトムさんのHarajuku Officeを訪問したときのもの。さて、そんな目で今日も東京を見てみたいと思います。P.S.タワーレコードで月刊ハンズ5月号購入、できばえをチェックです。 [...]

    Posted by: 月刊ハンズ編集長Codaのウラハンズ » Blog Archive » Japan Art on April 26th, 2009 at 1:02 pm

42. THANKS VERY GOOD YOUR SİTE

    Posted by: Bursa Evden Eve Nakliyat on May 25th, 2009 at 10:01 pm

43. It’s great article!

    Posted by: HY on August 10th, 2009 at 10:47 pm

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