NEC M-Type keyboard

By Xah Lee. Date: 2014-02-28. Last updated: 2019-08-12.

NEC 日本電気 Keyboard based on a then new Japanese language input system, called M式 (in English, called M-type or M-system).

M-type is designed by Dr. Masasuke Morita at NEC in 1983.

NEC keyboard pk kb015 2 — M-type keyboard designed by Masasuke Morita in 1983.

pk-kb015 NEC keyboard — M-type keyboard designed by Masasuke Morita in 1983.

M-type is 2 things:

A efficient Japanese input system. It's a romanji input system. (you type English Letter then convert to kana) The English letter arrangement is optimized for either kana or English or both.
A physical keyboard design.

Note that the vowels {E, U, I, A, O} are all on the left hand home row. This is similar to Dvorak Keyboard Layout.

NEC keyboard pk-kb015 44167-s — 4256×2832 [image source xixihaha2008 geekhack ]

NEC keyboard pk-kb015 65422-s — 4256×2832 [image source xixihaha2008 geekhack ]

NEC keyboard pk-kb015 key-switch 78696-s — ALPS SKCL yellow switch. 4256×2832 [image source xixihaha2008 geekhack ]

More info about M-type keyboard:

[【NEC】 Keyboard based on new input system (M system) 2013-01-21 By Information Processing Society Of Japan. At http://museum.ipsj.or.jp/en/computer/word/0027.html ]

Other M-Type Designs

Over the years, there are several M-Type keyboard designs.

japanese ergonomic keyboards — «元日本電気特別顧問森田正典氏が考案したM型キーボード('83年～)。左に母音、右に子音を配置しキー配置の覚えやすさと、左右交互打鍵と複数文字列を単打鍵で入力できる複合キーにより、高速な日本語入力を実現したという。文豪などに搭載されたほか、PC-8801/9801用、Windows用が発売された» [写真で見る歴史的なコンピュータ～「情報技術のエポック展」レポート【訂正版】 2013-01-21 By Impress Corporation. At http://pc.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/article/20010313/ipsj.htm , accessed on 2013-01-21 ]

Here's machine translation:

Former Japanese electrical special adviser Morita Masanori M-type keyboard that Mr. devised ( '83 ~) . Vowel to the left , and remember the ease of key arrangement to place the consonants to the right , by a composite key in which you can enter the left and right alternately typing and multiple string with a single keystroke , that was realized a high-speed Japanese input . In addition to that it has been mounted on a great writer , for the PC-8801/9801, is for Windows was released