Kyūjitai

Kyūjitai (in Shinjitai: 旧字体; in Kyūjitai: 舊字體; meaning "old character form") is the traditional form of the Japanese kanji used before 1947. The simplified counterpart of kyūjitai is shinjitai. Prior to the promulgation of the Tōyō kanji list, kyūjitai were known as seiji (正字; meaning "proper/correct characters") or seijitai (正字體). Even after they were made obsolete after the promulgation of the Tōyō kanji list, however, kyūjitai were seen in print even into the 1950s due to the need to change typewriter equipment to suit the new forms. Unlike in Simplified Chinese, where all personal names are consistently simplified, kyūjitai are still tolerated in Japan in personal names (see List of the traditional kanji tolerated in names). Based upon this principle, the kyūjitai and shinjitai spellings of historical figures can be interchangeable in modern Japanese.