This is a translation of the first two chapters of the original document in Japanese at http://khdd.net/kanou/fonts/stolenbitmap.html.
On June 15, 2003, it was made clear that the 32-dot bitmap font so-called "Watanabe font" is an unauthorized copy from a commercial font. The font is broadly used in a number of packages.
The original font is the 32-dot bitmap font TypeBank Mincho-M (TBMM). Although the current version of TBMM seems to have been improved, we guess that the copy is made from the version developed jointly by TypeBank and Design Laboratory, Hitachi,Ltd. (currently Design Division, Hitachi,Ltd.) and distributed as ROM.
I found examples of three glyphs "
Later, I found other glyphs that are identical to the 32-dot BDF font on the cover and pages 14 and 16 of the same magazine, on the jacket, Figure 37 (p.43), Figure 76 (p.88), Figure 81 (p.105), Figure 92-1 (p.116), and Figure 113-4 (p.162) of the book "Shotai-wo-tsukuru, Hayashi Takao typeface studies" by Takao Hayashi (Justsystem, November 15, 1996. ISBN:4-88309-431-6)
The newest Japanese version of this document can be viewed at http://khdd.net/kanou/fonts/stolenbitmap.html.
Following chapters: Identical glyphs, Different glyphs, Influences are omitted in this translation.
The newest translated version of this document can be viewed at http://khdd.net/kanou/fonts/stolenbitmap.en.html.
