Antique Japanese Acrobatics

This is wild! This was supposedly taken in 1904!



Thanks to I am Too Curious

Antique Cigarette and Alcohol Posters

This is a hybrid of posters from Pink Tentacle and East-Asian History net.

The first two posters are from East-Asian History net and I highly recommend that you click the link and go see the great article (complete with tons of cool posters) showing how nationalism was also used to sell cigarettes, alcohol and virility. It's highly recommended! See it here: East-Asian History net (Also good to get an idea about why anti-Chinese demonstrations are unproductive! And why stupid people shouldn't have children!)

Another of my favorite sites, Pink Tentacle, also has more posters at their page. Pink Tentacle has a display of posters from the 1890's to 1954. And it is called, "Addictive Ads." See it here.

More: http://pinktentacle.com/2010/09/addictive-ads-1894-1954/

More: http://www.east-asian-history.net/textbooks/Slideshows/nation_advertising/nation_in_advertising.pdf

Vintage Japanese Antique Postcards

I love old vintage art. There is a site on the Internet that specializes in collecting called Collect At. Collect.at. Collect.at proudly states on their webpage that it is: 

Austria' s oldest and largest online mall for Antique Collectibles
collect.at offers many kinds of unique Antiques and vintage Collectibles such as Oriental Antiquities, Autographs, vintage Postcards, old Graphics, antique Photos, History Documents, Stamps, Philately Collectibles and much more.  

I went to the site and found dozens of beautiful antique Japanese postcards there. I hope you enjoy the tour!

Raphael Kirchner Art Nouveau postcard depicting an older Chinese gentleman accompanied by a Geisha. Sent as postcard from New York to Neuchatel, Switzerland.

Old, tinted, Japanese postcard, depicting pretty young ladies in front of an impressive folding screen. One of the girls is playing a lute.

Japanese vintage postcard with view at a war ship with Emperor Hirohito and his men, inspecting the fleet. The Imperial Japanese Navy was the navy of the Empire of Japan from 1869 until 1947, when it was dissolved following Japan's constitutional renunciation of the use of force as a means of settling international disputes. It was the third largest navy in the world by 1920 behind the Royal Navy and United States Navy.

Imperial Japan: Lithographed colour postcard after a painting, depicting Samurai fighting. Attached is a 2 Sen fiscal stamp tied by a postal cancellation.

Japan, Kyoto: Japanese vintage postcard, made from a color woodblock print for the use as advertising postcard. Depicted is the entrance to the Hotel Kyoyamato in Kyoto.

"The Street, of Ueno Tokyo“. View from bird’s eye view at street with streetcar and wheel barrows.

Interesting, decorative Japanese woodblock print ( Kitagawa Utamaro ) as postcard, from 1910. It shows 2 ladies in attractive Kimono and a baby. One lady preparing giving mother's milk to the baby

Decorative, old, Japanese Postcard as advertising for Nagoya Hotel. Lithographed background and photos of hotel and dining room, restaurant.

1906, December 29th: The Japanese Crown Prince sitting in a cart, driving through a street of Tokyo, masses along the street. Mint, fine condition, issued by Hilger in Berlin.

Old postcard from Osaka. Attached are a ½ Sen Earthquake stamp tied by a clear violet Osaka strike and a 10 Sen Chrysenthamum. The postcard has been sent to Vienna. It comes from the Ignaz Winkler philately collection which specialized in Japanese and Chinese postal history.

Japanese cruiser, capturing a Russian merchant ship.

Japan, China: Very decorative, Japanese propaganda postcard for China Revolution Dept - campaign. The postcard shows a Chinese boy and silhouettes of workers and soldiers.

1911: Japanese panorama postcard with view at a place in Tokyo, a Shinto temple for fallen soldiers , an army museum and the statue of a Vice-admiral.

3 parts as one postcard. Text in German ( by a Japanese ), sent in an envelope.

Hibiya Park at Tokyo. A group of charming young ladies in this park. Stamped with a 1/2 Sen Japanese Post in China stamp. Sent to Styria in Austria. CTO cancellation, sent in an envelope.

Old Japanese Photo-Postcard, depicting a Zeppelin-airship over a Japanese village.

Old, tinted, Japanese postcard, depicting pretty young ladies in colorful Kimono, playing. The postcard has been sent to Italy, Naples. Attached is a 4 Sen stamp

Old Japan: b/w vintage postcard with soldiers of the seventh army with guns ready, posted in the streets.

Old color-postcard "The Japanese army crossing the Ihoriver." Artist-signed postcard, used 1904 in Hungary. 

Decorative vintage postcard as advertising: Nagayo Hotel. Lithographed and photographed views of the Hotel. 4 Sen stamp with clear Nagoya and Yokohama cancellations. Sent to Cincinnatti, Ohio.

Cochinchine - Saigon - Artiste Japonaise - Premier Role.

b/w vintage postcard depicting a female Japanese actress in traditional theatre robe.

To see many more vintage postcards from old Japan, go to Collect At.

Art Deco in Modern Japan

By Mike in Tokyo Rogers

I love Art Deco and Art Noveau. Today, I'd like to take you on an unusual journey through Japan's Art Deco and show you some fine examples from the 1920's and some really great examples that can be seen today.

In Kyoto's Gion, the geisha district. Near all-traditional Japanese buildings there are a number of super-futuristic mostly metal buildings that looked like spaceships. From Deadprogrammer.

When my wife and I bought our house we wanted to decorate the entire house in Art Deco flavor but we decided against that as, if you are not really careful with Art Deco, you could have a house filled with what looks like junk.

I think my house has a definite Art Deco mood

We also gave up because, after spending a long time looking for suitable Art Deco furniture in Japan, we couldn't find any nice pieces.

Cover of "Soreiu" a monthly Kimono magazine from the Art Deco era

Like I said, if you are not careful with Art Deco and coordination, you could have a room filled with what looks like junk.

Anyone who loves Art Deco would know that Japan and China had much influence on it... But why is it, then, that good Art Deco is difficult to find in Japan? Good question.

Subway station poster circa 1924 by Sugiura Hisui, Colour litograph, 1927

"The Only Subway in the East". Colour litograph, Japanese, 1927. Scanned from "Art Deco 1910-1939" edited by Charlotte Benton, Tim Benton and Chislaine. From Art Deco Blogspot.

In the 1920's, Shanghai, China was the place where many foreign nations had their embassies and foreign staff stationed. Because of that, Shanghai was probably one of the best places in the world to buy Art Deco until the last 15 years or so. Up until about 1995 one could go to Shanghai in China and buy lots of great Art Deco furniture for dirt cheap but those days are long gone.

Shanghai's old town is gone and has been replaced by massive skyscrapers, apartments and shopping complexes.

While it is possible to buy Art Deco Vases and wall art, I is extremely difficult to find good sofas, beds or this type of furniture.

Items like this Spirit of Ecstasy can be found in Tokyo if you search

Even though Art Deco is hard to find, and outrageously expensive if one can find it, there was an Art Deco movement in Japan and traces of it still can be seen today.  

"Kodomonokuni" Children's Land, Japanese Children Magazine, 1920's

A walk through Tokyo, down Meguro Dori will most probably be able to satisfy many Art Deco and antique shoppers. Meguro Dori is famous for used and antique furniture shops all within walking distance of each other.

Whether one really wants to buy or just wants a look, the used antique shops in Tokyo on Meguro Dori are your best bet.

The easiest way to get to the antique and used furniture shops on Meguro Dori is to ask a taxi driver to take you to Meguro Post Offic (the shops are all near there). Just get into a taxi and say, "Meguro Yuubin kyoku." If you are into more adventure, take the Toyoko Line from Shibuya to Gakugei Daigaku (4 stops) and head for the post office. Meguro Dori is a big road and there are many antique shops all up and down the street.

Happy hunting!

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Keywords: antique, Mike in Tokyo Rogers, Art Deco, Meguro Dori, Art Noveau, Mike Rogers, Marketing Japan,