Shūetsu Satō’s adhesive tape lettering

“The energy of the Shinjuku district”

On the ground floor, directly opposite the entrance, visitors can personalise selected items in the “Nike by You” area using special logo patches and designs available exclusively at this store, which—according to Nike—are “inspired by the culture and energy of the Shinjuku district.” 

“Shūetsu-tai” wherever one looks

Beyond the in-store branding and the façade of the Nike store, the campaign extended to the area around the east exit of Shinjuku Station, which was incorporated into the launch and used as a communication space. An animated version of the branding, for instance, was displayed on the famous “animated cat” billboard nearby.

This collaboration with Nike is not Shūetsu Satō’s first foray into the world of commercial applications. In 2008, the film Maboroshi no Yamataikoku (The Mythical Kingdom of Yamatai) was released, with its title lettering on the posters designed in the Shūetsu-tai style. 

Satō has also created custom signage for brands such as United Arrows and Tokyu Hands, and in 2020 he entered into an initial collaboration with art director Shun Sasaki.

Early Exhibitions and Late Recognition

Shūetsu Satō began promoting his lettering beyond the railway stations at an early stage. Images of a live performance in a tiny gallery in Koenji—held as part of his solo exhibition Current Location (26 August–5 September 2007)—were already circulating on blogs as early as 2007. He later took part in exhibitions, including Selected 100 Marginal Arts of Today at the Tomonotsu Museum in 2015 and, in 2019, in the group exhibition Where Am I? Art and Design Around Signage at the Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art.

There, the adhesive-tape typographer—who never received formal training—was exhibited alongside renowned artists and graphic designers and also held live sessions.

The Emergence of an Urban Phenomenon

The development of Shūetsu-tai and its growing popularity over the years are well documented in various online articles (see the list of links at the end of the article).

2002

Shuetsu Sato began working as a station officer in Shinjuku. Initially equipped with little more than a megaphone, he soon realised that signs made from adhesive tape were far more effective in guiding crowds through the station’s construction site.

23 December 2004

The earliest blog post still accessible today appeared online. It discussed signage on the platform of the Chūō Line at Shinjuku Station. The blogger, Toichi Akiyama, referred to earlier photographs from September 2003 that are no longer available online. At the time, the lettering had neither a name nor an identified creator. Akiyama wrote: “The typeface is large and striking. Let’s call it the ‘Shinjuku tape typeface’. It was created with minimal effort, which is rather clever. I am very curious to know who designed and developed it.”

2007

Following his work in Shinjuku, Shuetsu Sato began creating signage at Nippori Station in July 2007. By then, his following—further boosted by growing media coverage—had expanded steadily. In September, a live demonstration held as part of his exhibition Current Location at Shiranpuri in Koenji sold out completely, with 150 predominantly young visitors—many of whom had discovered him online—queuing to see his work in person. He also gave numerous interviews for newspapers and television programmes.

2008

On New Year’s Day, a five-coloured “Happy New Year” sign appeared at Nippori Station. In the same year, the film Maboroshi no Yamataikoku (The Mythical Kingdom of Yamatai) was released, with its titles designed in the Shūetsu-tai style.

Master of the Typographic Line

Shūetsu Satō has no formal training in graphic design. Yet he demonstrates a masterful sense of form and colour and, above all, a highly developed typographic imagination. From the very beginning of his career, he was eager to share his knowledge. Participants in his demonstrations were captivated not only by his technical skill, but also by the charisma of this master of the typographic line.

He begins by applying long strips of adhesive tape vertically and horizontally across the surface of a sign. He then cuts away the excess material to shape each individual character, while curves are created through additional layers of tape and a series of precise cuts. This seemingly straightforward process requires considerable imagination and sensitivity: even relatively simple signs can take hours to complete.

He also has a remarkable ability to adapt both Japanese and Latin letterforms to the constraints of his chosen medium. His kanji in particular—pushed to striking extremes through his grid-based system—display a distinctive elegance.

Sources and further reading

“The reason why the inventor of the “Shūetsu-tai” lettering style, created using adhesive tape, continues to work as a security guard even at the age of 70.”
Interview with Shūetsu Satō on Jimocoro (2023, in Japanese)

Demonstration: How the “Shūetsu style” is created
Interview (pt2) with Shūetsu Satō on Jimocoro (2023, in Japanese)

“Tokyo subway’s humble duct-tape typographer”
Article on Medium.com (2019, in English)

“The one and only master of train-station packing-tape calligraphy shares his story and inspiration.”
Article on SoraNews24.com (2016, in English)