The Meiji cancellations first appeard in 1892, Meiji 25, and were in use till
1894. In the ISJP supplement by George A. Fisher, Jr. to the monograph "The
Roman Postmarks of Japan" by John Gordon Bishop, on which some part of my Koban
collection is based, an Osaka Meiji cancellation with small lettering is
reported from 1891. 3. 28.
The size of the outer diameter is 28 mm and the inner circle is between 16
and 17 mm. Cancels in black, black-brown and brown are known. Meiji cancels were
used in Yokohama, Kobe, Nagasaki, Tokio, Hakodate, Kioto (Kiyoto), Osaka and
Niigata. They further were applied in Chinese and Korean overseas postoffices:
Shanghai, Tientsin, Chefoo (Cheefoo), Ninsen, Gensan and Fusan.
10yo1: Registered Cover with 5 off 2 Sen and 4 off 5 Sen UPU Koban
stamps, from Yokohama to Dresden in Germany
Yokohama Meiji with Serifs: 2 VII 1892
Dresden arrival mark: 3. 8. 1892 (on back)
10yo2: Foreign Mail Postcard 3 Sen, 1892 issue on thick paper, FC9,
from Yokohama to Dresden, Germany
Yokohama Meiji without Serifs: 25 VII 1894
10ko1: Foreign Mail Postcard 2 Sen, FC8, from Kobe to Hong Kong
Kobe Meiji: 23 I 1894
Hong Kong arrival mark: Jan 30 94
10ko2: International Postal Money Order Receipt from Kobe
Kobe Meiji: IX 2 1898 (Nov. 2, 1898)
The
German expert on Japanese stamps, Mr. Eichhorn, informed me, that the Kobe
Meiji was replaced for normal postal usage around October 1894. Yet this
handstamp was still in use in November 1898, but only for international
money orders. Does anybody have more information on this? For instance, is
this late usage of Meiji cancels known from other Japanese post offices
too? Mr. Eichhorn informed me in 2004 that this late usage is indeed known
from another location - Hakodate and Kobe.
10na1: Registered cover with 2 off 5 Sen and 5 off 2 Sen UPU Koban
stamps from Nagasaki via Yokohama to Sonneberg in Germany.
Nagasaki Meiji with serifs: 27. II. 1893
Yokohama Meiji with serifs: 1. III. 1893
Red registration mark, probably from London
Arrival mark Sonneberg (on back): 5. 4. 93
10to1: Cover with 10 Sen new Koban from Tokio to Dresden,
Germany
Tokio Meiji with small lettering: 18 V 1892
Yokohama Meiji: 18 V 1892
Dresden receiver mark: 18. 8. 1892
10to2: Foreign Mail Postcard 2 Sen, FC8, from Tokyo to Cambridge,
Ma.
Maruichi Tokyo, Mita in brown
Tokio Meiji with large lettering in brown: 9 III 1894
Yokohama Meiji: 10 III 1894
Tacoma: March 27, 94
Boston, Ma: April 2, 94
Paid All
Cambridge STA: April 2 95
10ha2: 2 Sen UPU Koban stamp on piece
Hakodate Meiji without serifs: 5 VII 1893
10ki1: Foreign Mail Postcard 3 Sen, FC9, from Kyoto via Yokohama to
Berlin, Germany
Maruichi Kyoto in brown
Kioto Meiji: 8 I 1893
Yokohama Meiji: 14 I 1893
Receiver: 8. 2. 93
Red Handstamp: for Yokohama (Yokohama yuki)
10ki2:: Cover with a 5 Sen UPU and a 5 Sen
Silver Wedding of Emperor Meiji commemorative stamp, from Kyoto to
London.
Kioto Meiji: 22 III 1894, a late usage
Yokohama Meiji: 23 III 1894
Arrival mark London: 23 AP 94
Red handstamp: for Yokohama
10os1:Foreign Mail Postcard 3 Sen, FC9, from Osaka to Port of
Spain, Trinidad
Osaka Meiji with small lettering: 16 III 1892
Tacoma: 28 Mar 1892
New York Foreign Transit: Apr 7 92
Trinidad: AP 28 92
10os2: Cover with 5 Sen UPU Koban stamp from Osaka to New York.
Osaka Meiji with large lettering: 20 VI 1893
Yokohama Meiji: 6 VII 1893 on back
San Francisco Paid All: JUL 25 1893
Arrival mark New York: Jul 31
10sh1: Letter with 5 Sen UPU Koban, written in
Chungking, Sze-Chuan, China on Jan. 5 1893 from a son to his father at
Queen's University in Kingston, Canada
Shanghai I.J.P.O Meiji with small lettering: 10 II
1893
Yokohama Meiji: 16 II 1893
San Francisco Paid All: March 4
Receiver Kingston can only be seen partially
10sh2: Cover with 2 Sen UPU and 3 Sen new Koban stamps
from Shanghai to Vermont, USA.
Shanghai I.J.P.O Meiji with large letters: 12 V 1894
Yokohama Meiji: 17 V 1894 on back
San Francisco Paid All: JUN 4 1894 on back
Receiver mark Proctorsville JUN 9 1894 on back
10ti1: 2 Sen stamped envelope SE16 (1888 issue) from Tientsin to
Bremen. A 2 Sen Silver Wedding commemorative stamp was added for the
correct 4 Sen postage required.
Tientsin I.J.P.O. Meiji with small lettering: 5 V 1894
10ch1: Foreign Mail Postcard 2 Sen, FC8, from Kioto via Kobe to Chefoo
Kioto Meiji: 3 XI 1894
Kobe Meiji: 4 XI 1894
Handstamp in red: for Kobe
Chefoo I.J.P.O. Meiji with one "E": 12. 1. 1894
10nin1: Foreign Mail Postcard 3 Sen, FC5, from Ninsen through Kobe to
Dresden in Germany.
Ninsen I.J.P.O. Meiji with small lettering: 7 IX 1892
Kobe Meiji: 25 IX 1892
Dresden-Altstadt arrival mark: 7. 11. 92
10nin2: Sen UPU Koban
Ninsen I.J.P.O Meiji with large letters in brown: 14
VII 18xx
10nin3: Cover with a strip of 4 5 Sen UPU Koban stamps,
registered from Seoul via Ninsen, Kobe, Yokohama, San Francisco and New
York to St. Petersburg in Russia. What a routing!
Red "R" Seoul registration mark No. 851
Ninsen I.J.P.O Meiji with large lettering in black: 17
V 1894
Kobe Meiji: 21. V. 1894
Yokohama Meiji: 24. V 1894
Registered San Francisco: June 6 1894
New York Reg'yDiv. 6-12-1894
Arr.ival marking St. Petersburg 12-VI-94
I was puzzled by the Seoul registration mark yet without
any Seoul cancellation. With the help of some reference books and friends
the reason was found: there was a branch of the Japanese Ninsen post
office in Seoul within the Embassy compound but this office did not have
their own handstamps. The first known Romal Letter Seoul cancellation, a
Medium Single Circle Type, is from Dec. 1894 (Bishop). The oldest known
Japanese Maruichi from Seoul - Chosun Keijo - is from Nov. 3, 1894.
Therefore, until late 1894 at least, all mail collected at the Soul branch
post office was carried to the Ninsen I.J.P.O. office where the mail was
cancelled.
10nin4: Foreign Mail Postcard 3 Sen, FC5, from Ninsen through Kobe and
Yokohama
Ninsen I.J.P.O Meiji with large lettering in black:
VIII 11 1893
Kobe Meiji: 16 VIII 1893
Yokohama Meiji: 17 VIII 1893
Please note the difference in
this cancellation to the previous two - the month/day instead of day/month
sequence.
10ge2:2 Sen UPU Koban
Gensan I.J.P.O. Meiji: 11 4 1894
10fu2: Foreign mail postcard FC4 from Fusan to Gensan and on to
Vladivostok in Russia
Fusan I.J.P. & T.O Meiji in brown: 17. VII. 1894
Gensan Maruichi 27 7 18
Remark: the use of this 2 Sen
postcard for the routing from Fusan to Vladivostok is rare.