Feature summary (what you would like to be able to do and where):
Incorporate the Hentaigana font into the Universal Language Selector's Web Fonts feature.
Suggested Improvement:
I propose adding the following font, which seems suitable for this purpose:
Font Name: Noto Serif Hentaigana
Languages: ja (optional)
Version: v1.000
License: SIL Open Font License 1.1
Download Site URL: https://github.com/notofonts/hentaigana
Benefits (why should this be implemented?):
Hentaigana (変体仮名) are historical variations of Japanese kana, originating from cursive scripts. They were predominantly used before the modern kana system's adoption. As the Meiji era progressed, hentaigana usage declined, with the current hiragana system gaining prominence. Today, hentaigana can be spotted in certain traditional contexts. It's worth noting that the "Hentai" in "Hentaigana" refers to "variant" and is not related to the term "変態" (often pronounced as "Hentai" and meaning "perverse" or "abnormal" in English).
For a detailed understanding, refer to:
The Japanese Wikisource archives public domain works, including those from the pre-Meiji era. Such works may require hentaigana input and display. This need also arises when platforms like Wikipedia and Wiktionary explain hentaigana.
While a number of hentaigana variants have been included in Unicode, them are located in the Kana Supplement (U+1B000–U+1B0FF) and Kana Extended-A (U+1B100–U+1B12F) blocks. However, many default operating systems cannot render them without the appropriate hentaigana font installed.So users have to replace hentaigana with character images or substitute them with non-hentaigana kana.
By introducing the web font, these inconveniences can be alleviated. Additionally, documents containing hentaigana can be easily copied and pasted. This will also ensure consistent and accurate display across various devices and platforms, enhancing user experience and accessibility.