Japan's First Postage Stamp
The world's first postage stamp was issued in Britain in May 1840 as an advance payment voucher for postal charges. In Japan, the first stamps appeared thirty-one years later in April 1871, when four designs of stamps known as telegram stamps were issued.
There are various kinds of postage stamps, from the 'standard stamps' which are most commonly used to 'special stamps.' These special stamps mark anniversaries or cooperation in instruction and publicity for national events. They also present the country, its scenery, flora and fauna, culture and arts and crafts.
As society changed and progress was made in industry and technology, much care and effort was taken in producing these stamps so that the design was fit for the age.
This report takes a look at some of the changes in standard postage stamps through the years. While these changes present a history of postal services, they also closely reflect the changes in society.
Japan's First Postage Stamp
April 20, 1871
Thirty-one years after the world's first postage stamp was issued (the Penny Black in Britain in 1840), the first postage stamps appeared in Japan.
The design of the stamps is thought to have been taken from the 'dragon' which appeared on the Taisei administration monetary bill used at the time.
The printed area is a square with a side length of 19.5 millimeters. They are the smallest Japanese stamps. They were printed on extremely thick Japanese paper and had neither perforations nor glue.
There were four types available, each with a different denomination. The unit of currency at the time was the mon, and the face values were 48 mon, 100 mon, 200 mon and 500 mon.
These stamps are called the 'Dragon mon stamps.'
Introduction of Paper Money and the Sen
1872
In 1871 new currency regulations were proclaimed. These regulations revised the unit of currency that had been used up to that time, making 1 ryo equal to 1 yen and 100 mon equal to 1 sen.
With this change, the face value of the stamps was revised. The 48 mon stamp became the half-sen stamp, the 100 mon stamp became the 1 sen stamp, the 200 mon stamp became the 2 sen stamp and the 500 mon stamp became the 5 sen stamp. The design of the stamps remained the same as on the Dragon mon stamp and for the first time perforations appeared. Some of the stamps had glue.
These stamps are called the 'Dragon sen stamps' to distinguish them from the Dragon mon stamps.
The Imperial Chrysanthemum Crest and words 'Postage Stamp' Make Their Debut
August 23, 1872
Since the surface of the printing plates for the Dragon sen stamps had become worn, new printing plates were engraved with a different design and the previous two printing colors were replaced by a single hue.
These are known as the 'Cherry Blossom stamps,' as the flower appears in each of the four corners of the stamp. The imperial chrysanthemum crest and the words 'Postage stamp' also appeared for the first time. All stamps in this issue had perforations and glue.
Starting with this stamp, the imperial chrysanthemum crest appeared on every stamp for a period of approximately 75 years until 1947.
