Kyūjitai 旧字体 (舊字體)

kyūjitai · from Japanese

What is kyūjitai?

Kyūjitai are the traditional kanji forms used in Japan before the postwar reforms, still seen in names, shrines and old texts.

They largely correspond to Traditional Chinese characters. Many family names keep kyūjitai variants, and businesses use them for an old-fashioned look. Pre-1946 literature is usually reprinted in shinjitai.

Examples

櫻 (shinjitai 桜, sakura); 澤 (沢, sawa, common in surnames); 舊字體 (旧字体)

Kungfucius says: Kyūjitai: kanji in their Sunday best.