<![CDATA[Kingston Stamp Club Community Forum - Asia]]> https://kingstonstampclub.ca/forum/ Wed, 08 Apr 2026 01:42:37 +0000 MyBB <![CDATA[Great Find at the February Auction]]> https://kingstonstampclub.ca/forum/showthread.php?tid=337 Sat, 07 Mar 2026 02:22:37 +0000 Janet MacD]]> https://kingstonstampclub.ca/forum/showthread.php?tid=337
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The stamp was issued in 1999 by the PRC to commemorate the 22nd Universal Postal Union Congress that was held in Beijing.

The calligrapher was Jiang Zemin, who in 1999 was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, the Chairman of the Central Military Commission, the President of China, and the Paramount Leader. His message on the stamp would make a wonderful slogan cancel:

Develop modern postal services, meet social needs.

When I looked at this stamp, it reminded me of 1982, when China and Canada collaborated to bring a special exhibit to the Ontario Science Centre. It was called “China: 7,000 Years of Discovery” and master artisans travelled from China to Canada to demonstrate skills like silk weaving and embroidery, paper making, and calligraphy. We attended a special show with friends who had recently emigrated from China. As a surprise for Hugh, they had a master calligrapher write something of Hugh’s choice on a sheet of freshly made paper. It was a privilege to watch the artist’s strokes evolve into a quotation from The Art of War.]]>
.jpeg Janet China March 5 1 (1).jpeg Size: 841.58 KB  Downloads: 2


The stamp was issued in 1999 by the PRC to commemorate the 22nd Universal Postal Union Congress that was held in Beijing.

The calligrapher was Jiang Zemin, who in 1999 was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of China, the Chairman of the Central Military Commission, the President of China, and the Paramount Leader. His message on the stamp would make a wonderful slogan cancel:

Develop modern postal services, meet social needs.

When I looked at this stamp, it reminded me of 1982, when China and Canada collaborated to bring a special exhibit to the Ontario Science Centre. It was called “China: 7,000 Years of Discovery” and master artisans travelled from China to Canada to demonstrate skills like silk weaving and embroidery, paper making, and calligraphy. We attended a special show with friends who had recently emigrated from China. As a surprise for Hugh, they had a master calligrapher write something of Hugh’s choice on a sheet of freshly made paper. It was a privilege to watch the artist’s strokes evolve into a quotation from The Art of War.]]> <![CDATA[China: Japanese Occupation Stamps]]> https://kingstonstampclub.ca/forum/showthread.php?tid=306 Sat, 24 Jan 2026 16:34:21 +0000 Hugh]]> https://kingstonstampclub.ca/forum/showthread.php?tid=306
They were issued for use in Hunan, Hebei, Shanxi, Shandong and Norther Jiangsu.

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Stamps:
North China Japanese Occupation Stamps
Overprints on earlier stamps of Sun Yat-sen and Martyr / Chen Ying-shih
[Note: Lower overprints are printed R to L on stamps]

Series: 6th Anniversary of the General Post Office of North China
Issued on August 15, 1944
Upper Overprint, black: 北 華 [North China]
Lower Overprint, red / blue: 郵政總局成立 / 六周年紀念 [The establishment of the General Post Office / Commemoration of the sixth anniversary]
Sc. 8N95 - 98

The Japanese set up a regional GPO at Beijing in June 1938.

Series: Commemoration of the Death of Wang Ching-wei (Wang Jingwei (1883-1944)
[President of the Reorganized National Government of the Republic of China (1940-1944), a puppet state of the Empire of Japan]
Issued on December 5, 1944
Upper Overprint, black: 北 華 [North China]
Lower Overprint, black / blue: 汪主席 / 葬典紀念 [Chairman Wang / Funeral Commemoration]
Sc. 8N99 - 102

Following the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937, Wang accepted an invitation from the Japanese to form a collaborationist government in Nanjing, of which he served as the head of state until his death shortly before the end of World War II in Asia.

Series: Commemoration of the 2nd Anniversary of the Declaration of War
Issued on January 9, 1945
Upper Overprint, black: 北 華 [North China]
Lower Overprint, red / black: 參戰二周年 / 紀念 [The second anniversary of the war / Commemoration]
Sc. 8N103 - 106

These four stamps refer to the 2nd anniversary of the January 9, 1943 declaration of war on the US and UK by the 'Reorganized Government' in Nanjin]]>
They were issued for use in Hunan, Hebei, Shanxi, Shandong and Norther Jiangsu.

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Stamps:
North China Japanese Occupation Stamps
Overprints on earlier stamps of Sun Yat-sen and Martyr / Chen Ying-shih
[Note: Lower overprints are printed R to L on stamps]

Series: 6th Anniversary of the General Post Office of North China
Issued on August 15, 1944
Upper Overprint, black: 北 華 [North China]
Lower Overprint, red / blue: 郵政總局成立 / 六周年紀念 [The establishment of the General Post Office / Commemoration of the sixth anniversary]
Sc. 8N95 - 98

The Japanese set up a regional GPO at Beijing in June 1938.

Series: Commemoration of the Death of Wang Ching-wei (Wang Jingwei (1883-1944)
[President of the Reorganized National Government of the Republic of China (1940-1944), a puppet state of the Empire of Japan]
Issued on December 5, 1944
Upper Overprint, black: 北 華 [North China]
Lower Overprint, black / blue: 汪主席 / 葬典紀念 [Chairman Wang / Funeral Commemoration]
Sc. 8N99 - 102

Following the outbreak of the Second Sino-Japanese War in 1937, Wang accepted an invitation from the Japanese to form a collaborationist government in Nanjing, of which he served as the head of state until his death shortly before the end of World War II in Asia.

Series: Commemoration of the 2nd Anniversary of the Declaration of War
Issued on January 9, 1945
Upper Overprint, black: 北 華 [North China]
Lower Overprint, red / black: 參戰二周年 / 紀念 [The second anniversary of the war / Commemoration]
Sc. 8N103 - 106

These four stamps refer to the 2nd anniversary of the January 9, 1943 declaration of war on the US and UK by the 'Reorganized Government' in Nanjin]]> <![CDATA[China]]> https://kingstonstampclub.ca/forum/showthread.php?tid=279 Wed, 12 Nov 2025 05:50:21 +0000 RICHARD]]> https://kingstonstampclub.ca/forum/showthread.php?tid=279
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]]> <![CDATA[South Korea]]> https://kingstonstampclub.ca/forum/showthread.php?tid=229 Fri, 17 Oct 2025 22:18:51 +0000 RICHARD]]> https://kingstonstampclub.ca/forum/showthread.php?tid=229
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]]> <![CDATA[Japan: Covers and Postal History]]> https://kingstonstampclub.ca/forum/showthread.php?tid=223 Thu, 16 Oct 2025 19:17:58 +0000 Hugh]]> https://kingstonstampclub.ca/forum/showthread.php?tid=223 I bought this from Mark at the last KSC meeting. It looked like it might be fun to analyze and Graham and I were curious about the dates on the cancels. 

I've now had a chance to give it a good look. It's a Shōwa-era cover and was sent from Kanazawa in Ishikawa Prefecture to the Canadian Pacific Steamship Empress of Asia in Nagasaki harbour. 

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The receiving two-ring CDS is dated April 1, 1938 [13.4.1, Shōwa (昭和天皇) 13 = 1938, the 13th year of Hirohito's reign (December 25, 1926 to January 7, 1989). It was processed in the afternoon ... 午後 0–4 [noon to 4PM]. The text is only a partial and muddy, my guess is 金沢中局 [Kanazawa Central Post Office]. This is supported by the return address on the back flap which reads, 14 Nakatakajo, Kanazawa.

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It is tied to three SG 320 (4s, Green) Admiral Tōgō (東郷平八郎) stamps issued in 1937. The 12 sen franking was the domestic letter rate for a letter weighing more than 40g.

It was addressed in English and Japanese.

The Rev. Mr. John Stinson
Empress of Asia
Nagasaki

長崎市加奈多艦太平洋汽船会社の
エムプレス・アプ、エジア内
[In Nagasaki City, within the Empress of Asia of the Canadian Pacific Steamship Company]

The arrival postmark on the back was dated at 長崎 [Nagasaki] on the following day ... [1]3.4.2. [April 2, 1938]. The time mark indicates that it was received during the afternoon ... 午後 4–8 [4-8PM]

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There is a vertical boxed rectangle with a vermillion hand-stamp on the front. It appear to be 到着 [Arrived]. It's probably not a postal marking. I suspect it's an arrival stamp applied by the local on-shore agent of Canadian Steamship Company. Alternatively, it may have been applied in the ship's mailroom prior to delivery. Other opinions are welcome.

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There is a manuscript 334 on the front of the cover, in pencil. I assume it's Rev. Stinson's cabin number. In which case, he was traveling first class and had a cabin on the C Deck. 

If my information is correct, the Empress of Asia had left Hong Kong in late March and was scheduled to arrive in Nagasaki on April 2 before continuing on to Kobe and Yokohama. If so, this cover was perfectly timed.

The RMS Empress of Asia was built in 1912 in Scotland for Canadian Pacific Steamships. As well as being a passenger liner between Vancouver, BC, Japan and Hong Kong in peacetime, the ship was an armed merchant cruiser during both world wars. Three years after this cover, in January 1941, she was requisitioned by the British Admiralty.  She was sunk by Japanese aircraft on February 5, 1942 while travelling in convoy from Bombay to  Singapore.

The addressee may have been Rev. John [Wesley Arnold] Stinson (1910-1994) a Canadian missionary in China. In the spring of 1938, shortly after Japan occupied Shanghai, he and Dr. Steward Allen were asked to escort all of the tons of wooden boxes and other missionary baggage that had been stuck in Shanghai. They took a steamer to Hong Kong and travelled on the French Indochina Railway to Kunming. There they hired eight trucks and drivers for a trip along the Burma Road.

[Source: chinamiddlekingdom.siue.edu/omeka-s/s/missionaryphases/item?Search=&property%5B0%5D%5Bproperty%5D=51&property%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=eq&property%5B0%5D%5Btext%5D=John%20Stinson]

Cheers, Hugh]]> I bought this from Mark at the last KSC meeting. It looked like it might be fun to analyze and Graham and I were curious about the dates on the cancels. 

I've now had a chance to give it a good look. It's a Shōwa-era cover and was sent from Kanazawa in Ishikawa Prefecture to the Canadian Pacific Steamship Empress of Asia in Nagasaki harbour. 

.jpeg Image.jpeg Size: 412.74 KB  Downloads: 0

.jpeg Image 1.jpeg Size: 351.14 KB  Downloads: 1


The receiving two-ring CDS is dated April 1, 1938 [13.4.1, Shōwa (昭和天皇) 13 = 1938, the 13th year of Hirohito's reign (December 25, 1926 to January 7, 1989). It was processed in the afternoon ... 午後 0–4 [noon to 4PM]. The text is only a partial and muddy, my guess is 金沢中局 [Kanazawa Central Post Office]. This is supported by the return address on the back flap which reads, 14 Nakatakajo, Kanazawa.

.jpeg Image 2.jpeg Size: 117.35 KB  Downloads: 0


It is tied to three SG 320 (4s, Green) Admiral Tōgō (東郷平八郎) stamps issued in 1937. The 12 sen franking was the domestic letter rate for a letter weighing more than 40g.

It was addressed in English and Japanese.

The Rev. Mr. John Stinson
Empress of Asia
Nagasaki

長崎市加奈多艦太平洋汽船会社の
エムプレス・アプ、エジア内
[In Nagasaki City, within the Empress of Asia of the Canadian Pacific Steamship Company]

The arrival postmark on the back was dated at 長崎 [Nagasaki] on the following day ... [1]3.4.2. [April 2, 1938]. The time mark indicates that it was received during the afternoon ... 午後 4–8 [4-8PM]

.jpeg Image 3.jpeg Size: 111.71 KB  Downloads: 0


There is a vertical boxed rectangle with a vermillion hand-stamp on the front. It appear to be 到着 [Arrived]. It's probably not a postal marking. I suspect it's an arrival stamp applied by the local on-shore agent of Canadian Steamship Company. Alternatively, it may have been applied in the ship's mailroom prior to delivery. Other opinions are welcome.

.jpeg Image 4.jpeg Size: 185.78 KB  Downloads: 0


There is a manuscript 334 on the front of the cover, in pencil. I assume it's Rev. Stinson's cabin number. In which case, he was traveling first class and had a cabin on the C Deck. 

If my information is correct, the Empress of Asia had left Hong Kong in late March and was scheduled to arrive in Nagasaki on April 2 before continuing on to Kobe and Yokohama. If so, this cover was perfectly timed.

The RMS Empress of Asia was built in 1912 in Scotland for Canadian Pacific Steamships. As well as being a passenger liner between Vancouver, BC, Japan and Hong Kong in peacetime, the ship was an armed merchant cruiser during both world wars. Three years after this cover, in January 1941, she was requisitioned by the British Admiralty.  She was sunk by Japanese aircraft on February 5, 1942 while travelling in convoy from Bombay to  Singapore.

The addressee may have been Rev. John [Wesley Arnold] Stinson (1910-1994) a Canadian missionary in China. In the spring of 1938, shortly after Japan occupied Shanghai, he and Dr. Steward Allen were asked to escort all of the tons of wooden boxes and other missionary baggage that had been stuck in Shanghai. They took a steamer to Hong Kong and travelled on the French Indochina Railway to Kunming. There they hired eight trucks and drivers for a trip along the Burma Road.

[Source: chinamiddlekingdom.siue.edu/omeka-s/s/missionaryphases/item?Search=&property%5B0%5D%5Bproperty%5D=51&property%5B0%5D%5Btype%5D=eq&property%5B0%5D%5Btext%5D=John%20Stinson]

Cheers, Hugh]]> <![CDATA[Japan Air Mail]]> https://kingstonstampclub.ca/forum/showthread.php?tid=215 Tue, 14 Oct 2025 22:24:04 +0000 RICHARD]]> https://kingstonstampclub.ca/forum/showthread.php?tid=215
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]]> <![CDATA[China: Second Anniversary of the Korean War]]> https://kingstonstampclub.ca/forum/showthread.php?tid=135 Thu, 02 Oct 2025 23:08:53 +0000 Hugh]]> https://kingstonstampclub.ca/forum/showthread.php?tid=135 Stamps issued by China (PRC) in 1952 on the second anniversary of their entering the Korean War on the side of the North. On October 19, 1950, about 260,000 PRC troops had crossed the Yalu River and joined combat. 

The stamps have a narrative flow. First, Chinese Volunteers on the march to Korea.

Stamp:
China - 2nd Anniversary of Korea Volunteers
Volunteers on the March
Issued on October 25, 1952
$800, Blue-green
Sc. 171 [PRC number (90) 1952]

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Supplies being loaded for the volunteers. The banner being held up reads,"Support the front line".

Stamp:
Loading Supplies
Issued on October 25, 1952
$800, Vermillion
Sc. 172 [PRC number (91) 1952]

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Arriving in Korea and joining the battle.

Stamp:
Volunteers Attacking Across River
Issued on October 25, 1952
$800, Violet
Sc. 173 [PRC number (92) 1952]

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Meet up with North Korean troops.

Stamp
Meeting of Chinese and Korean troops
Issued on October 25, 1952
$800, Lake Brown
Sc. 174 [PRC number (93) 1952]

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]]> Stamps issued by China (PRC) in 1952 on the second anniversary of their entering the Korean War on the side of the North. On October 19, 1950, about 260,000 PRC troops had crossed the Yalu River and joined combat. 

The stamps have a narrative flow. First, Chinese Volunteers on the march to Korea.

Stamp:
China - 2nd Anniversary of Korea Volunteers
Volunteers on the March
Issued on October 25, 1952
$800, Blue-green
Sc. 171 [PRC number (90) 1952]

.jpeg Image 1.jpeg Size: 366.87 KB  Downloads: 1


Supplies being loaded for the volunteers. The banner being held up reads,"Support the front line".

Stamp:
Loading Supplies
Issued on October 25, 1952
$800, Vermillion
Sc. 172 [PRC number (91) 1952]

.jpeg Image 2.jpeg Size: 383.68 KB  Downloads: 0


Arriving in Korea and joining the battle.

Stamp:
Volunteers Attacking Across River
Issued on October 25, 1952
$800, Violet
Sc. 173 [PRC number (92) 1952]

.jpeg Image 3.jpeg Size: 402.91 KB  Downloads: 0


Meet up with North Korean troops.

Stamp
Meeting of Chinese and Korean troops
Issued on October 25, 1952
$800, Lake Brown
Sc. 174 [PRC number (93) 1952]

.jpeg Image 4.jpeg Size: 395.24 KB  Downloads: 0
]]> <![CDATA[UN Temporary Executive Authority]]> https://kingstonstampclub.ca/forum/showthread.php?tid=134 Thu, 02 Oct 2025 22:53:57 +0000 Hugh]]> https://kingstonstampclub.ca/forum/showthread.php?tid=134
UNTEA issued 19 postage stamps during the transition ... overprints on Netherlands New Guinea stamps.

Pakistan, together with the US and Canada provided Peacekeeping services during the transition. Pakistan provided 1,500 troops and the US and Canada provided a total of 76 air force personnel.

Pakistan issued a commemorative stamp.

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Stamp:
Pakistan - UN Force in West Irian
Issued on February 15, 1963
Red overprint U.N. FORCE W. IRIAN on Sc. 135a Shalimar Gardens
13p, Violet
Sc. 174]]>
UNTEA issued 19 postage stamps during the transition ... overprints on Netherlands New Guinea stamps.

Pakistan, together with the US and Canada provided Peacekeeping services during the transition. Pakistan provided 1,500 troops and the US and Canada provided a total of 76 air force personnel.

Pakistan issued a commemorative stamp.

.jpeg Image.jpeg Size: 332.02 KB  Downloads: 0


Stamp:
Pakistan - UN Force in West Irian
Issued on February 15, 1963
Red overprint U.N. FORCE W. IRIAN on Sc. 135a Shalimar Gardens
13p, Violet
Sc. 174]]> <![CDATA[WWII Japan: Mobilization Notice Postcards]]> https://kingstonstampclub.ca/forum/showthread.php?tid=81 Tue, 19 Aug 2025 04:01:26 +0000 Hugh]]> https://kingstonstampclub.ca/forum/showthread.php?tid=81
It was addressed in 1943 and sent to  Tsuchiya Yoshio, [care  of the] Ichikawa household, 7 9 Ōokayama, Meguro ku, Tokyo.

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Stamp: Japan
General Nogi Maresuke (1849-1912) [Hero of the Russo-Japanese War]
Issued on May 10, 1937
2s, Scarlet
SG 318

2 sen was the domestic postcard rate at the time. As the sender was not yet in the military, this was not sent 'free' but required civilian postage and travelled through the ordinary mail system.

Cancel:
It appears to be a machine cancel with six wavy lines. The wavy line obliterator looks like it is enclosed in a box which is different than western usage.
Single ring dater die 鶴見 / 18 /  6 . 3 [Tsurumi, June 3, 1943 (Shōwa 18)] Tsurumi, or Tsurumi-ku is one of the wards [ku] of the city of Yokohama.
There is an ornamental scroll with the character for Post in the bottom portion of the dater die.

Tsurumi [the posting office] sits on the Tōkaidō Main Line about 25 km south west of Meguro. The card probably reached Tokyo the same day or early the next morning.

Postcard:
On the front of the rather rough, buff coloured card, at the top, are the words 郵便はがき [Postcard] The paper stock and the blotchy printing suggest that by 1943 higher grade materials were being diverted for military needs.

Pre-printed Message: On the back of the card is printed a standard message (based on machine translation)

With profound respect,
At this crucial moment, as our Great Japanese Empire lays the foundations for its next hundred years, it is a comfort to learn that you remain in continued good health and tireless endeavor.
Through good fortune I have been permitted to take part in the supreme task of breaking through the present national crisis.
This is thanks entirely to the guidance and support I have received from you and all the others, for which I offer heartfelt gratitude.
On the occasion of my departure for the front you extended many kindnesses; please accept my deepest thanks.
After entering the ranks I shall devote myself single mindedly to the complete fulfillment of the national policy, and I beg you therefore to set your mind at ease.
I write in haste to convey my thanks and this brief notice.

The year (Shōwa 18 / 1943) and the month (6) are pre-printed on the card. The sender was supposted to add the day in the space provided. The sender of this card did not do so.

Manuscript addition: The sender added his name Nakamura  Tatsuo and the name of the unit to which he is being posted ... 千葉市 歩兵第七十二部隊 [Chiba shi Infantry Regiment No. 72]

This regiment was established in 1938 in Chiba. It was deployed in China and in the Philippines.

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Here is another example of a (出征通知葉書) Mobilization Notice Postcard from the start of the war.

It's from Shōwa 13 (1938), five years earlier. At that time, Japan was engaged in a full-scale war in China (Second Sino-Japanese War). It had started in the summer of 1937.

The 1938 card was sent to a Mr. Ōishi at Nagamizuta Hamlet, Hatsuō (初生) Village, Hamana District (now, Hamamatsu City in Shizuoka Prefecture).

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It was posted on September 29, 1938 by Suzuki Osamu  newly posted to the 4th Squad, 3rd Company of the Hamamatsu Anti-Aircraft / Artillery Detachment.

While they are very similar in function (and have the same stamp, postcard rate and postmark type), there are a few interesting differences between this card and the one above.

For example, the paper is of somewhat higher quality (firmer) and the type and printing is darker and cleaner.

The paper shortage was not yet as challenging as it would become by 1943.

Also, the pre-printed message on the back is also a bit different. It appears to read:

With respectful greetings.
When I was called up and entered camp, you were kind enough, despite your many duties, to come personally to see me off and to extend special courtesies; I am deeply grateful.
Thanks to your support I have today safely joined the unit listed at left; pray set your mind at ease.
Henceforth I am firmly resolved to devote myself single heartedly to repaying our Sovereign and Country.
I beg that, during my absence, you will continue to favour me with your kind guidance.
I write first to tender my thanks and respectful salutations.
Shōwa  13, 29  September

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In my view, the 1938 version of the message is more like a polite personal letter. He thanks his friends and family who had come to see him off and promises to do his duty.

The 1943 version, on the other hand, appears to have shifted into the realm of war propaganda. There was no mention of a send-off and the language has shifted to talking about 'breaking through the crisis'.

While soldiers in other parts of the world were asked to 'write home' as soon as they were posted (often with a 'check the box' pre-printed card) these Japanese cards are new to me.

I'm going to see if I can find a series of these cards over the the 30's an 40's and trace the evolution of these messages. I'd be interested in seeing how the language of mobilization hardens as the war unfolds.

Cheers, Hugh]]>
It was addressed in 1943 and sent to  Tsuchiya Yoshio, [care  of the] Ichikawa household, 7 9 Ōokayama, Meguro ku, Tokyo.

.jpeg Image 2.jpeg Size: 165.08 KB  Downloads: 0


Stamp: Japan
General Nogi Maresuke (1849-1912) [Hero of the Russo-Japanese War]
Issued on May 10, 1937
2s, Scarlet
SG 318

2 sen was the domestic postcard rate at the time. As the sender was not yet in the military, this was not sent 'free' but required civilian postage and travelled through the ordinary mail system.

Cancel:
It appears to be a machine cancel with six wavy lines. The wavy line obliterator looks like it is enclosed in a box which is different than western usage.
Single ring dater die 鶴見 / 18 /  6 . 3 [Tsurumi, June 3, 1943 (Shōwa 18)] Tsurumi, or Tsurumi-ku is one of the wards [ku] of the city of Yokohama.
There is an ornamental scroll with the character for Post in the bottom portion of the dater die.

Tsurumi [the posting office] sits on the Tōkaidō Main Line about 25 km south west of Meguro. The card probably reached Tokyo the same day or early the next morning.

Postcard:
On the front of the rather rough, buff coloured card, at the top, are the words 郵便はがき [Postcard] The paper stock and the blotchy printing suggest that by 1943 higher grade materials were being diverted for military needs.

Pre-printed Message: On the back of the card is printed a standard message (based on machine translation)

With profound respect,
At this crucial moment, as our Great Japanese Empire lays the foundations for its next hundred years, it is a comfort to learn that you remain in continued good health and tireless endeavor.
Through good fortune I have been permitted to take part in the supreme task of breaking through the present national crisis.
This is thanks entirely to the guidance and support I have received from you and all the others, for which I offer heartfelt gratitude.
On the occasion of my departure for the front you extended many kindnesses; please accept my deepest thanks.
After entering the ranks I shall devote myself single mindedly to the complete fulfillment of the national policy, and I beg you therefore to set your mind at ease.
I write in haste to convey my thanks and this brief notice.

The year (Shōwa 18 / 1943) and the month (6) are pre-printed on the card. The sender was supposted to add the day in the space provided. The sender of this card did not do so.

Manuscript addition: The sender added his name Nakamura  Tatsuo and the name of the unit to which he is being posted ... 千葉市 歩兵第七十二部隊 [Chiba shi Infantry Regiment No. 72]

This regiment was established in 1938 in Chiba. It was deployed in China and in the Philippines.

.jpeg Image 3.jpeg Size: 178.51 KB  Downloads: 0


Here is another example of a (出征通知葉書) Mobilization Notice Postcard from the start of the war.

It's from Shōwa 13 (1938), five years earlier. At that time, Japan was engaged in a full-scale war in China (Second Sino-Japanese War). It had started in the summer of 1937.

The 1938 card was sent to a Mr. Ōishi at Nagamizuta Hamlet, Hatsuō (初生) Village, Hamana District (now, Hamamatsu City in Shizuoka Prefecture).

.jpeg Image.jpeg Size: 151.32 KB  Downloads: 0


It was posted on September 29, 1938 by Suzuki Osamu  newly posted to the 4th Squad, 3rd Company of the Hamamatsu Anti-Aircraft / Artillery Detachment.

While they are very similar in function (and have the same stamp, postcard rate and postmark type), there are a few interesting differences between this card and the one above.

For example, the paper is of somewhat higher quality (firmer) and the type and printing is darker and cleaner.

The paper shortage was not yet as challenging as it would become by 1943.

Also, the pre-printed message on the back is also a bit different. It appears to read:

With respectful greetings.
When I was called up and entered camp, you were kind enough, despite your many duties, to come personally to see me off and to extend special courtesies; I am deeply grateful.
Thanks to your support I have today safely joined the unit listed at left; pray set your mind at ease.
Henceforth I am firmly resolved to devote myself single heartedly to repaying our Sovereign and Country.
I beg that, during my absence, you will continue to favour me with your kind guidance.
I write first to tender my thanks and respectful salutations.
Shōwa  13, 29  September

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In my view, the 1938 version of the message is more like a polite personal letter. He thanks his friends and family who had come to see him off and promises to do his duty.

The 1943 version, on the other hand, appears to have shifted into the realm of war propaganda. There was no mention of a send-off and the language has shifted to talking about 'breaking through the crisis'.

While soldiers in other parts of the world were asked to 'write home' as soon as they were posted (often with a 'check the box' pre-printed card) these Japanese cards are new to me.

I'm going to see if I can find a series of these cards over the the 30's an 40's and trace the evolution of these messages. I'd be interested in seeing how the language of mobilization hardens as the war unfolds.

Cheers, Hugh]]> <![CDATA[Finding the Unexpected on a Postcard]]> https://kingstonstampclub.ca/forum/showthread.php?tid=80 Sun, 17 Aug 2025 20:50:21 +0000 Janet MacD]]> https://kingstonstampclub.ca/forum/showthread.php?tid=80 A fifty-cent purchase provided many hours of entertainment and some lessons in history …

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This postcard has a tear across the centre, but to me it holds excellent value because it led me through the Google-verse to learn about: US Marines in China, Naval Hospitals in Japan, the Boxer Rebellion, and two natural disasters.

It was the illustration that caught my attention first, and then the fact that it was postally used, unlike other Japanese cards in the dealer’s box. But what sealed the deal (pun intended) was the blue sticker, which reads “United States Naval Hospital Yokohama”.


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Dated January 26, 1906, and postmarked the following day, it was sent to a woman named Edna Idle in San Francisco from a man named Ted, who noted that he was leaving for Shanghai in the afternoon.

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By the time the card arrived, Edna had moved. The card was forwarded to a hotel and then to another address, all in the Nob Hill district. The San Francisco earthquake occurred on April 18, 1906. I don’t know if the card reached Edna before the earthquake. Nob Hill suffered devastating damage from the earthquake and the fires that followed.

The naval hospital in Yokohama was built in 1872. It was still a busy facility at the time this card was sent, but it was no longer the preeminent naval hospital. Operations were winding down and by 1906 many cases were convalescents.

Edna Adle survived the San Francisco earthquake. She married, had a daughter named Jean, and died in 1951. She is buried in Washington State.

The naval hospital collapsed in an earthquake on September 1, 1923. Like the San Francisco earthquake, the Yokohama earthquake had a magnitude of 7.9 and was followed by devastating fires.

I doubt I will ever know what happened to Ted.]]> A fifty-cent purchase provided many hours of entertainment and some lessons in history …

.jpeg IMG_3105.jpeg Size: 75.54 KB  Downloads: 0


This postcard has a tear across the centre, but to me it holds excellent value because it led me through the Google-verse to learn about: US Marines in China, Naval Hospitals in Japan, the Boxer Rebellion, and two natural disasters.

It was the illustration that caught my attention first, and then the fact that it was postally used, unlike other Japanese cards in the dealer’s box. But what sealed the deal (pun intended) was the blue sticker, which reads “United States Naval Hospital Yokohama”.


.jpeg IMG_4583.jpeg Size: 143.55 KB  Downloads: 0


Dated January 26, 1906, and postmarked the following day, it was sent to a woman named Edna Idle in San Francisco from a man named Ted, who noted that he was leaving for Shanghai in the afternoon.

.jpeg IMG_3109.jpeg Size: 84.88 KB  Downloads: 95

.jpeg IMG_4584.jpeg Size: 166.19 KB  Downloads: 0


By the time the card arrived, Edna had moved. The card was forwarded to a hotel and then to another address, all in the Nob Hill district. The San Francisco earthquake occurred on April 18, 1906. I don’t know if the card reached Edna before the earthquake. Nob Hill suffered devastating damage from the earthquake and the fires that followed.

The naval hospital in Yokohama was built in 1872. It was still a busy facility at the time this card was sent, but it was no longer the preeminent naval hospital. Operations were winding down and by 1906 many cases were convalescents.

Edna Adle survived the San Francisco earthquake. She married, had a daughter named Jean, and died in 1951. She is buried in Washington State.

The naval hospital collapsed in an earthquake on September 1, 1923. Like the San Francisco earthquake, the Yokohama earthquake had a magnitude of 7.9 and was followed by devastating fires.

I doubt I will ever know what happened to Ted.]]> <![CDATA[India: CEF Stamps]]> https://kingstonstampclub.ca/forum/showthread.php?tid=74 Thu, 14 Aug 2025 20:43:21 +0000 Hugh]]> https://kingstonstampclub.ca/forum/showthread.php?tid=74
Stamp:
Series: India Military Stamps
Queen Victoria / Empress of India
Issued in 1900
3p, Carmine-rose, Overprint C.E.F. [China Expiditionary Force] on Sc. 54
Sc. M1

Two brigades of Indian troops were sent to China in 1900 during the Boxer Uprising 义和团运动 ... a postal unit was sent with the troops and I understand that the first recorded use of these overprinted military stamps was August 1900. Most of the Indian troops were withdrawn by 1906. 

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Stamp:
Series: India Military Stamps
Queen Victoria / Empress of India
Issued in 1900
3p, Carmine-rose, Overprint C.E.F. [China Expiditionary Force] on Sc. 54
Sc. M1

Two brigades of Indian troops were sent to China in 1900 during the Boxer Uprising 义和团运动 ... a postal unit was sent with the troops and I understand that the first recorded use of these overprinted military stamps was August 1900. Most of the Indian troops were withdrawn by 1906. 

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]]> <![CDATA[Japan: Stamps and Covers / Russo-Japanese War]]> https://kingstonstampclub.ca/forum/showthread.php?tid=72 Thu, 14 Aug 2025 20:33:13 +0000 Hugh]]> https://kingstonstampclub.ca/forum/showthread.php?tid=72
Stamp:
Japan: 明治三十七八年戦役陸軍凱旋観兵式記念郵便切手
[Commemorative Postage Stamp for the Triumphal Military Review of the Army from the 37th–38th year of Meiji]
Issued on April 29, 1906 [Meiji 39]
1.5s, Blue, Engraved (T. Hosogai)
SG 154b (perf 12.5)

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Stamp:
Japan: 明治三十七八年戦役陸軍凱旋観兵式記念郵便切手
[Commemorative Postage Stamp for the Triumphal Military Review of the Army from the 37th–38th year of Meiji]
Issued on April 29, 1906 [Meiji 39]
1.5s, Blue, Engraved (T. Hosogai)
SG 154b (perf 12.5)

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]]>