This Japanese postal card from the late 1890s features a pre-printed blue 1 sen indicium with the denomination "1 銭" and the inscription "JAPANESE POST," framed in an ornate oval medallion design. The card is postmarked with at least three clear circular brown-red cancellations, one of which includes a Tokyo marking (東京), identifying it as being postally used from Tokyo. The address side also bears a vertical bilingual instructional line reading 郵便はかき (postal card) and several handstamped notations in both black and red ink, indicating handling by postal authorities or institutions—possibly linked to military or bureaucratic correspondence. The message side is filled with flowing classical Japanese calligraphy written in brush ink, showing signs of formal, respectful correspondence consistent with the Meiji era. The style and linguistic register reflect the bureaucratic or official tone of late 19th-century Japan, where such cards were frequently used for commercial, administrative, or interdepartmental communication. The historical and aesthetic significance of this card lies in its embodiment of Meiji modernization: a fusion of traditional script and imperial postal reform, during a time when Japan was aligning itself with international postal standards via the Universal Postal Union. Estimate "$50 – 70"
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$45.00Price
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