matplotlib-fontja

What it is and what it does

matplotlib-fontja is a fork of japanize-matplotlib that configures matplotlib to display Japanese text correctly by automatically setting the IPAexGothic font. It is designed for Python 3.7 through 3.13 and works with matplotlib 3.0 and later. The package bundles the IPAexGothic font (Ver.004.01) and applies it when imported, allowing developers to label axes, titles, and annotations in Japanese without manual font configuration.

The typical workflow is to import matplotlib_fontja after matplotlib but before drawing, which registers the font and updates matplotlib's configuration. The package handles the common case where Japanese labels would otherwise render as boxes or missing characters. It is most useful in scientific and educational contexts where plots need bilingual or Japanese-only labeling.

Use it for:

• Label axes and titles in Japanese on scientific plots without manual font setup.
• Create educational visualizations with Japanese text for Japanese-speaking audiences.
• Generate reports or publications with matplotlib charts that include Japanese annotations.
• Quickly prototype data visualizations in Jupyter notebooks with Japanese labels.
• Render Japanese legends and text in seaborn plots after calling japanize().

Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying

Enables Japanese text rendering in matplotlib plots by automatically configuring the IPAexGothic font after import.

Yes, if you need Japanese text in matplotlib plots. Install friction is minimal, the license is permissive, and there are no known vulnerabilities. The aging maintenance status (477 days since last release) is a minor concern for long-term compatibility, but the package is stable and tested across Python 3.7–3.13 and matplotlib 3.0–3.10. Suitable for educational and scientific use where Japanese labeling is required.

Install

matplotlib-fontja on PyPI

pip install matplotlib-fontja

uv add matplotlib-fontja

poetry add matplotlib-fontja

Installing matplotlib-fontja

Before you install

Low friction; pure Python wheel with only matplotlib as a runtime dependency. Maintenance status is aging (477 days since last release), but the package is marked stable and has received recent commits.

License in practice

Dual-licensed under MIT and IPA Font License. The permissive MIT covers the code; the IPA license governs the bundled IPAexGothic font (Ver.004.01) and requires acceptance of its terms.

Quickstart

pip install matplotlib-fontja

import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import matplotlib_fontja

plt.plot([1, 2, 3, 4])
plt.xlabel('日本語')
plt.show()

matplotlib must be installed first; font configuration from other libraries (e.g., seaborn) may override the japanization and require calling matplotlib_fontja.japanize() after such calls.

Verify before relying

• Whether the package works reliably with matplotlib versions beyond 3.10 (fact sheet shows testing up to 3.10 but classifiers list support for later versions).
• Current maintenance cadence and likelihood of future updates for new Python/matplotlib releases.

Package facts

Evidence: matplotlib_fontja-1.1.0-py2.py3-none-any.whl

Tags

More Visualization packages