Stamp Design Prize Contest
Stamp Design Prize Contest
August 31, 1913
With the passing of Emperor Meiji, the new era of Taisho began. Stamp designs were completely changed. For the first time an open contest with prizes was held to select a new stamp design. An entry by Tazawa Shogen (an employee of the Printing Bureau) was chosen and adopted as the design for the new standard stamps. These stamps are known as the 'Tazawa stamps' after the design's creator.
In 1914 a watermark was included in the Tazawa stamps to prevent copying. The new versions of the stamps are commonly called the 'Taisho watermark stamps.'
First Scenery Design
January 1, 1922
The postal charges for mail sent overseas were revised with the basic charge set at double the previous cost. Charges were 4 sen to send printed matter, 6 sen to send a postcard and 20 sen for a letter. The corresponding stamps had to be produced. Three stamps featuring a design of Mount Fuji with a deer were issued and became known as the 'Fuji Deer stamps.' This was the first time that a design showing scenery had been used on a standard stamp.
The stamps were printed using the three colors green, red and blue that were established by the Universal Postal Union (UPU) Agreement. Each denomination was a different color. The stamps were issued with various subsequent color changes until 1937.
Stamps Printed by a Non-government Corporation
October 25, 1923
The Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 destroyed the warehouses of the Printing Bureau and Communications Ministry (the current Ministry of Posts and Telecommunications). The equipment necessary for producing stamps and most of the stamps which had been stored were lost. As an emergency measure to make up for the shortage of stamps, the government consigned production of stamps to a private corporation. This corporation produced stamps known as the 'Earthquake stamps.'
The stamps did not have perforations or glue, but a watermark called the 'earthquake watermark' was used. The Printing Bureau was reconstructed much sooner than expected and the earthquake stamps were abolished on April 30, 1925.
Issue of Stamps Featuring Scenery
July 5, 1926
In 1925 the Overseas Postal Regulations were revised and postal charges were reduced. To correspond with the new overseas postal charges, three types of stamps featuring Mount Fuji, the Tosho Shrine in Nikko and Nagoya Castle were issued.
These were the first standard stamps in Japan to have a rectangular shape. The stamps feature well-known places in Japan and the stamps have become known as the 'Scenery stamps.'
These stamps were issued on various types of paper and in different colors until 1937.
