Imperial units commonly used units for length are (li), (tseung/cheung), (tsek/chek), (tsun/chun), (fen/fan) in descending scale order. These units are now rarely used in daily life, the imperial and metric systems being preferred. The imperial equivalents are written with the same basic Chinese characters as the Chinese system. In order to distinguish between the units of the two systems, the units can be prefixed with "Ying" () for the Imperial system and "Wa" () for the Chinese system. In writing, derived characters are often used, with an additional (mouth) radical to the left of the original Chinese character, for writing imperial units.
Imperial Household Artist Imperial Household Artist An was an artist who was officially appointed by the Imperial Household Ministry to create works of art for the Tokyo Imperial Palace and other imperial residences. The system came into being during the Meiji period in 1890 and was discontinued after the end of World War II. Most pieces of work cannot be seen in public except in the Museum of the Imperial Collections, as well as occasional pieces in the Tokyo National Museum. The system was abolished after World War II. Important artists are still designated and protected by the government however under the system