The reverse side of Hoshinoya postcard

Category

Library Item

Item no

28273

Title

The reverse side of Hoshinoya postcard

Description

From 1907 to 1917, one third of the space was given for a message to be written. (Previously, no space was allowed for a message.) This post card was made by Hoshinoya firm, which was one of the major postcard companies at that time. The Hoshinoya used star marks as their logo mark because 'hoshi' means 'star' in Japanese.

Artist / maker

Unknown

Date

1912

Size

9.0 x 14.0 cm

Type

Postcard

The reverse side of Entrance of Temple, Hakone. The postcard was made by Hoshinoya.

The postal system in Japan started in 1871 and the postcard system was introduced in 1873. The sending of private postcards was allowed in 1900 when private production companies began to make and sell original postcards. However, postcards were not distributed so much until the Russo-Japanese War in 1904. This is because the Japanese government (Meiji government) did not impose a fee on postcards which soldiers sent from the front. After this, Japanese people started to use postcards frequently. After the Russo-Japanese War postcard fever occurred in Japan many companies began to produce original postcards. Postcards were made as souvenirs and sent to Europe. The Russo-Japanese War and the ensuing postcards garnered the attention of the British public both in Japan and in the postcards.

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Sport and leisure > Activities > Holidays

Sport and leisure > Activities > Writing