Brand New Member from New York

jintan ... welcome to TSF. I'm really looking forward to seeing some of your cards and the associated postal markings. Sounds fascinating. 

Cheers, Hugh

Appreciate all the warm welcome!

TimG, thanks for asking. But I won't bore the forum with my "story." With Japanese postal cards, however, my first exposure to them was a year ago, when I came across an archive of F. M. Trautz. Did not know a thing about this guy, so I started a blog based on the postcards sent to him in Kyoto, Japan in 1933.

Then I happen to come across another archive: Edward S. Morse. So I started a blog.

Then just a few months ago, I found a huge archive of Meiji postal cards, all addressed to Yoshihiko Maeda, Meiji Period western style painter from Kobe, Japan. He is an unknown here in the US. Even in Japan he is scarcely known, but he is considered an early founder of this art movement.

So there you have it. If anyone is interested in those blogs, this is one of them. Links to other blogs can be had from there.

morse-trautz-japan.blogspot.com/

jintan ... as I said in my post about the 'black' postal cards, it's a wonderful blog. The time and effort you put into it is obvious. 

I really enjoyed reading it. 

I was especially taken with the post on October 16th when you wrote about the card addressed to Toyama Shibato the 1878 translator of the "Russo-Turkish War Chronicle". Like you, I could not find anything else about him or his book. I did find a Russian language copy of a Russo-Turkish War Chronicle that was written in 1877, I wonder if that was the one he translated? 




What I was especially surprised to hear was that Seigo Yamazawa, a representative of the Japanese Government and, I gather, a military observer during the war was appointed, at his request, a Russian platoon commander in at least one action in the Russo-Turkish War. According to a book by Jure Tsucui, published in 1911, he was the first Janpanese in Bulgaria. Don't know how accurate this is. I still looking for a second source. The part about him being a military observer rings true ... this wa a common practice among the major nations. They were embedded with belligerent armies. However, they were supposed to be neutral non-combattants. 

On the translator...about 20 or so cards I have are addressed to Toyama, while another two dozen are for Tomiyama. Both are the same person that lived in Kobe. He was likely a semi-important fellow but lost in history now. His first name could be read Shibato or Shibahito.

As I study more on these stationery cards, I may find something exciting. But with all of these cards scattered around the house, they're making my head spin.

Yes. a whole lof of work but not well done at all. Since I write in English then translate to Japanese, then try to correct and improve that translation, it's a lot of work even for a simple post on that blog. But I kinda enjoy it, even if nobody reads it. That blog is geared to Japanese audience, but even they don't know a thing about Maeda Yoshihiko, the artist.