-
Nikko, Kirifuri Waterfall
We are embarrassed to admit we do not know the correct term(s) to describe this card accurately. Bear with us. It has a message on the reverse and was likely mailed in an envelope: no sign of stamp or postmark. The card itself is on extremely heavy stock that almost looks embroidered, or like tree bark. (We said we didn’t know.) Try to imagine a card that almost looks like needlepoint, but not as thick. The maker is “Numai” and there is some Japanese printed on the front but search engines were no help. Grade: 4
-
Lake Kawaguchi, autumn scene near Fuji View Hotel
We’re not sure what to make of this card P7767. Printed in U.S.A., otherwise unattributed, definitely unused, and could almost be in Vermont. But it’s not. Grade: 1
-
Fuji from the Southwest
Similar to card 20311129, this one (P7766) is something of a mystery. Maybe the card was made for U.S. Forces? Grade: 1
-
Kyoto, bamboo
The exact caption: Bamboo, Sagano, Kyoto. This card was mailed in 2011 with stamp and postmark. Grade: 1
-
Nippon Charter Cruise, Fuji Maru
Mailed in 2011 with three different stamps, mostly legible postmark, and address and blue trilingual airmail sticker affixed. Grade: 2
-
Mt. Fuji
Nice contemporary view of Fuji-san on a card mailed in 2011 with large stamp and full postmark. Address label affixed. Grade: 3
-
Osaka
You need to be able to read Japanese to know this is a card of Osaka–or you just need to recognise the city. Unused, there is a large orange logo of sorts stamped in the message area, almost certainly before the card was sold. Grade: 1
-
Tokyo, Street Scene
This card was produced in the USA for sale there (otherwise, no need to say Tokyo is in Japan), and indeed the card was mailed in 1910 in Indiana with stamp and full postmark. Grade: 1
-
Kyoto (folio)
This is a folio of eight different views in and around Kyoto, all unused. The cards could be sent individually, as normal, or altogether in this wrapper. If you’d like to know what the individual cards are, please ask. Grade: 1
-
The three most famous views in Japan
And these three are: Matsushima, Miyajima, and Amano hashi date. Card was mailed in 2011 with three different stamps and full postmarks. Blue trilingual airmail sticker affixed. Grade: 1
-
Nikko, Nemuri-no-Neko (Sleeping Cat)
Unused vintage postcard 23, attributed only in Japanese. Grade: 2
-
Kobe, Nunobiki Waterfall
Unused old B&W postcard with blue lettering on each side. Grade: 3
-
Nikko, Sanjinko Fo Toshugo
Unused, aged card of which the lower left corner tip is torn off but still in the sleeve along with the card–so if you were framing the card, you could repair this. Grade: 5
-
Kobe, Recreation Ground
Unused, aged and vintage postcard. Grade: 3
-
Russo-Japanese War memorial cannon at Ise-jingu Naiku garden
Many thanks to Keiko for the identification and translation. Unused, vintage postcard presumably postdating the actual conflict which took place in 1904 and 1905. B&W, with blue lettering. Grade: 2
-
Kobe, Stone Steps at Moon Temple
Beautiful old unused card, attributed only in Japanese. Look closely in all the B&W, and you’ll see one person sitting halfway up the steps, on the right, carrying a red bundle. It also seems like one other person nearby has some red clothes. So odd. Grade: 1
-
The Cannon-ball of Ohato Nagasaki
If we had time, we would run all of these through a search engine and give you capsule summaries. But scanning and entering are more important right now. Unused, heavily aged card. Grade: 3
-
Kagoshima, The graves of Nansyu Saigo and etc. (sic)
Unused card. Grade: 2
-
Kyoto, Kinkakuji (The Golden Pavilon)
Unused B&W card with blue lettering. Grade: 2
-
Nagoya Castle
Unused, vintage B&W postcard with blue lettering. Grade: 2
-
Kyoto, Sanjusangendo 1000-armed Kannon
1000 heads: all the better to witness the suffering of humans, and help rectify that suffering. Unused B&W vintage postcard with red lettering. Grade: 1
-
Kyoto Kinkaku of Gankasui
Long after this photo was taken, much happened here. Google it. Meanwhile, just know this is an unused card with lower left corner tip torn away. Grade: 4
-
The Corridor of Shrine Miyazima
Unused card. Grade: 2
-
Aki, View of Matsubara Itsukushima
Now if you do decide to Google the printed caption, note that the correct (international) spelling is as we have it in our caption, not what’s on this unused old card. Grade: 2
-
Kyoto, Miyako Hotel
Two of these cards are available, differing only in the colour of the lettering on the front. One is dark brown, the other is golden. Either way, we did some searching and were not able to determine whether this is the same as what is now the New Miyako Westin; if it is, Kyoto has certainly grown. Since the Westin is said to be 200+ years old (in prior incarnations), it may well be the same. Anyway … our two cards are unused, very old, and Grades: 2
-
Kyoto, Yasaka Temple
Unused, old, highly atmospheric card. Grade: 1
-
The Shinkyo at Nikko
Unused. Grade: 2
-
Aomori Nebuta Festival
The sub-caption reads “Excellent color photograph,” and we agree. We love the intensity of this card, mailed in 2011 with two different stamps, mostly readable postmark, and airmail label affixed. Grade: 1
-
Yokohama, Sakaicho-dori
Just for fun, we Googled this too. That really didn’t work! So instead of explaining, we tell you it’s an unused vintage postcard, Grade: 3
-
Yokohama, Motomachi-dori
Mailed from the U.S.S. Glacier in 1910, with a one-cent US stamp, by a sailor named Bill who–we have come to learn–was a real ladies’ man. This is one of those cards crying out to tell its story. You want to try? Grade: 3
-
Tokyo, Cherry Blossom at Uyeno Park
Just continue reading from the previous card. It’s Bill again in 1910. Stamp and partial postmark, heavily aged card. Grade: 3
-
Tokyo, Yasukini Shrine
Before World War II, before modern-day rivalries and disputes, this shrine existed in what is now central Tokyo. No further comment about this unused postcard. Grade: 3
-
Chiuzenji (Ojiri Bridge) Nikko
Unused, old and heavily handled card where the leaves of two trees are unaccountably red. Grade: 3
-
Hakone, Villa of the Mikado
Unused old card. Grade: 3
-
Tokyo, Monument of Count Goto at Shiba
We don’t understand this penchant for little bits of red in the cards, but red has as much right to exist as green or blue so we won’t complain. This unused card shows a statue of Count Goto, about whom we knew nothing until we learned this from a book by Craig and Gilbert: Count Shimpei Goto was Japan’s Foreign Minister in 1918 but one of his claims to fame was having organised the South Manchurian Railway Company as its first president in 1907. Goto also wanted Siberian exploration, studied medicine, and was special friends with Russia and Germany. It goes on from there, but we’ll stop here. Grade: 2
-
Mountain scene
Was this to be Mt. Fuji? We don’t know, there’s no obvious caption. Two things are unusual about this card, which was mailed (with stamp and postmark) in the 40th year of that Emperor’s reign: (1) the card seems not to be made of ordinary paper, but of a kind of bark or fabric or something we can’t identify; and (2) the handwriting. Grade: 3
-
Tokyo, Asakusa Park
Street scene, of the day, on this unused card. Grade: 3
-
Yokohama, Cherry Blossom Noge Hill
Unused card. Grade: 2
-
Tokyo, Cherry Blossom at Mukojima
Unused and very old. Grade: 2
-
Yokohama, Oriental Hotel
Unused, tinted card notable for its lack of traffic. Grade: 3