Interesting article. There's also one on how typing Japanese is done on modern computers:
https://blog.gatunka.com/2009/09/12/using-a-japanese-ime/
It all sounds horribly complicated, although it may be one of those procedures that's easier to do than to describe.
These kind of writing systems really don't seem suited to being input via a conventional keyboard, even with software assistance.
I wonder if things will change [or have changed] with the advent of touch screens and styluses? [stylii?] which would allow the characters to be written manually, using finger or stylus and then have the software convert this to the appropriate typed character?
Anyone has a link for some trivia info about speed, in words per minute, for a 1915 / ~1930 Japanese writer using such typewriter vs. an English one?
Another article with some pics from 2016 about early Japanese typewriters
The title should be updated to reflect that it was written in 2009.
The “related posts” section has some incredible interesting headlines, one of which is already also on the front page of HN right now.
Seems like the whole blog is worth looking through
(2009) please
"Or visit our sponsor NSFW"
Well that's one way to monetize your in-depth blog posts about the history of Japanese typewriters.
It appears the Koreans were the smart bunch among east Asians. They ditched the tiresome Chinese writing system and moved on to something much more elegant: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hangul.
See also the book, "The Chinese Typewriter: A History" By Thomas S. Mullaney [1] for more on the history of Japanese and Chinese typewriters.
[1] https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/chinese-typewriter