Japan has issued only a handful of official seals in three basic designs. All of the covers shown below are from the second design group.
Date issued: Unknown
Printing: Orange brown on white paper
Perforation: 12
Inscription: Bilingual Japanese/English "OFFICIALLY SEALED. / DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS OF JAPAN"
Control Number: none
Description: 1901 cover from Tokyo, Japan to England with six redirection slips attached on front and single Japanese official seal on backflap. Date issued: Unknown
Printing: Orange brown on white paper
Perforation: 12
Inscription: Bilingual Japanese/English "OFFICIALLY SEALED. / DEPARTMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS OF JAPAN"
Control Number: none
Description: 1917 cover from Tokyo, Japan to New York, NY reclosed at right with horizontal pair of Japanese official seals. Square boxed violet marking "kensazumi" ("examination passed") handstamp struck at left. This is apparently a "hidden" censorship usage, where Japanese language censor markings were used with the assumption that foreigners would be unable to read it.
Updated June 4, 2003
Catalog:
Catalog:
© Copyright 2003
- Buying, Selling, & Trading Officially Sealed Mails of the World -
by T. Hirn
E-mail:thirn@poseal.com