Japanese kobans 1876-92

Welcome ...

2012-01-31T14:01:00.000-04:00

zen and the art of the koban ... or, zeitgeist and the gestalt view.
posts here reflect research into art history, the history of print and my personal studies of imitations and foreign mail kobans.

japanese kobans 1876-92 - the first bilingual issues of the "Imperial Japanese Post" .

Edoardo Chiossone of Italy designed most, but not all the issues... I hope you enjoy reading various topics presented over time ... thanks for visiting . a member of ISJP.ORG since 1969 ... have assisted the "forgery project" from 1995 ... my outlook reflected in posts offers a new rationalization of koban imitations ... you may post your comments : but please stay on topic ...

chiossone taught at Technical Art School in Tokio - 1876-1881. closed 1883. ... I have often pondered if some of the students produced the facsimiles ... 130 woodblock artists were active - 1860-1875 ; however, modern artviews were developing in japan and elsewhere ... as well, competition for newer printing technologies : relief printing was infringing on traditional woodblock and serigraphy.

can anyone provide Maeda Kihei's K series sets as scans ? please contact me ...

if chrome browser is installed, auto translate available... very fine feature. picasa3 is also excellent and free download from google. also note StampCat v10 just released ...

M2 50sen CCCC ...

2012-01-21T14:52:00.001-04:00

the 50sen shows cuts to perfs on all sides

an M2 (maeda) imitation...

old kobans were first offered as sets on the K-series tourist sheets

a few survive as obliterated singles

expanded facsimile range ...

2012-01-03T14:18:00.000-04:00

my inspections of kobans has revealed new forms in FM or bota cancels ... I have discovered some Osaka and Yokohama negative cross items on 10sen values. the 3sen value may also produce some new bota finds ... my notes on this blog seem to stimulate other collectors to review their holdings... result, more new finds are appearing ...

as a result of my notes, several collectors have also uncovered new nijumaru forms for 1sen and 2sen, not covered as plates in ISJP 2002 CD.

genuine on left, with example of this new group on right ... note all sides are cut perfs ; the lack of details and frame anomolies ...

anyone puzzling over kobans ? send me scans - and I will offer an opinion.

this will assist my plating studies.

new koban imitations ...

2011-12-19T15:21:00.000-04:00

fig 1 : genuine vs imitations

fig 2 : MK4 new kobans

the 2sen bears both a maruichi and denshin cancel. note the frame error, sen value...
the 15sen and 50sen : both have common frames, and numeral anomolies. the kanji is also irregular, and shade vars...

please send scans of any further finds in New or UPU koban imitations...

2012 : work-in-progress ...

2011-12-15T12:34:00.002-04:00

Build 2012.3 - NIJUMARU STUDY - TOURIST SHEET KOBAN IMITATIONS

the nijumaru section will follow after bota study is complete. this is a large study that will take months to analyse. radials must be isolated, coded and class grouped...

radial types : #2 and 3 are most common

the MDB shows denshin, kiban, nijumaru and maruichi forms. hybrids and combos exist also.

multi-strikes (1...4) on same object.

Build 2012.3 - ROMAN LETTER YEAR DATE KOBAN IMITATIONS

this should be available soon after the nijumaru study is complete

Build 2012.3 - MIHON SUMITEN AND SPECIMEN KOBAN IMITATIONS

these appeared in the forgery enkakushi, or tourist sheets. preliminary study in progress.

progress report ... MXC constructs.

the library of grouped indicia or cancel slugs is advancing moderately... my active study beyond the spiro sheets , includes two basic groups: bota and nijumaru, or double circle. bota subgroups : the foreign seapost , and letter cancels. these will be classified according to the latest cancel monograph of the JPS 2008 ed. ... this will allow collectors to separate the woodblock reproduction series from the genuine kobans.
nijumaru subgroups : the partial cancels (90 or 180 degree) ; inter-value correlation analysis; ... and the free-form double circles ... creating a new series of plated imitations

a time-series approach ... correlation of genuine and repro kobans

as time passes, more is known about the relationships between the artists, sources of the reproductions and their distribution globally... woodblock method is not unique to Edo period artists of japan, but continues today ... Varro Tyler, remarked that several european artists used this method, for reproducing many nations postal objects ... the japanese case, reflects none were "postal forgeries" during the classic period* ... further, various koban repros followed only after the genuine stamps were withdrawn from use (postal rate changes) ... in fact, this time-delay is signifigant ... Maeda Kihei emulated many genuine obliterators, nijumaru, denshin and even some maruichi cancel forms in his work ... botas reflecting both foreign mail and city letter-cancels also exist... (some are also "imaginative" or indicate "mozo" only)... note that Wada Katoro's son was president of the first philatelic club in japan ... the repro catalogs of this era are scarce ... so a goal was to recreate aspects of japanese philately, where none remained in japan proper or abroad ... foreign seamail postmarks as an example ... this is the function of copyists (graphic artists) : whether philatelic objects or other works of art ...

the work achieved by the ISJP.ORG and JPS members to date**; however, still leaves some "dead-ends" : or unanswered questions ... further, the original numbering of plates was achieved by K Wilhelmsen of Norway ... and the ISJP subsequently, reviewed the plates in the monograph - Kobans Forgeries of Japan : coauthored by Varro Tyler and Kristian Wilhelmsen.... the 2002 V2 CD on forgeries, follows this pattern today ...

in order to sequence koban reproductions more closely, correlation of each repro-object to dates revealed in Monograph 17, and to JSCA koban tables : date of emission, date of withdrawal of each denomination... repro obliterator or cancel form dates will be referenced to 2008 JPS monograph on cancels ....each object, where possible is also cross-referenced to the isjp CD itself .... the cancel or obliterator, where it mimics the genuine should reflect a closer "time-series" of production for many of the koban repros... I am developing these MXCs or cancel matrices overtime ....currently, the ISJP CD divides these as either "litho" or "typo" (engraved) plates as the original survey by Wilhelmsen ... my view is that all are woodblock design ...

* the enkakushi by wada, was a different case ... the IJPO seized most copies, as included were some genuine postal stationery items .... this was omitted from Casey's recent monograph on the tourist sheets. a definitive reference outling sources of classic reproductions ...

** 2008 JPS monograph on cancels , reflects this collaboration

Bota cancel study of imitations ....

2011-12-15T12:33:00.000-04:00

Build 2011.12 - BOTA STUDY - TOURIST SHEET KOBAN IMITATIONS
the bota study of FM and Letter cancels has been complied and updated.... these are class grouped on album pages ... plating associations will follow

... progress report : distributions are growing - isolation of radials follows - then plating...

JPS 2008 cancel guide ... section 322

2011-12-12T14:34:00.000-04:00

bryan's 58 killers ...

the IJPO joined the UPU in 1875, in hope of solving common problems of international mail seapost. at the beginning of meiji era, several nations were active in japan mails - britain, france, usa, russia and germany... mails to other european destinations were carried by packet lines of these nations. the growth of railway lines internationally also speeded the mails overland.

to 1876, the IJPO domestically were using woodcarved indicia... duplex to cancel outbound, and nijumaru receiving marks. with the start of japan's foreign mail service, things changed. the usa sold the pacific steamship company to mitsubishi steamship - the shanghai route was growing fast. this streamlined the US service to n america and europe. the british maintained a seapost route (twice daily) to hong kong and beyond. the french service also continued until 1900s...

roman letter daters and new obliterators appeared in 1875. the first set of killers were iron cast and manufactured by a NYC firm. Bryan brought these IJPO foreign mail office, where he acted as advisor. these appear below... historically these are important. compare each to designs in section 322 of the 2008 JPS handbook of japanese postmarks. the images below show original state. overtime, some degraded to only partial cancels. regarding the early roman letter thimbles, Bryan may have contracted these for IJPO also. I have yet to discover the source, however, they resemble more the british hong kong cancels of the time (perhaps a london firm manufactured them). ref: JP48-5

in 1875, tokio, yokohama, nagasaki, hiogo-kobe and hakodate were part of foreign mail service. by 1900, 44 japan offices had rubber-molded roman-letter daters. the JPA and IJPO offices in china and korea also moved to roman-letter daters as UPU requirement. the domestic letter botas continued to be made of wood - lasting about 6 months...

FM Bryans # 18 ...

2011-12-12T14:33:00.000-04:00

this FM bota should be added to the JPS 2008 handbook ...

it is unknown which PO was assigned the obliterator, possibly Tokio

first occurence noted.

JPS 2008 cancel guide ...

2011-12-12T14:32:00.000-04:00

having worked with this guide for some weeks, I recommend it ....

the foreign mail section has been audited , bringing forward new indicia from the Nishino study ... for telegraph enthusiasts, this section has been expanded greatly ... the small double-circle cancels are a fine way to represent kobans ...

this is not a price guide : but aids research. I relate my koban imitation study constantly ... defining the imitation indicia. the graphs show section 322 : foreign mail - by PO and year ...

3sen plate anomoly ...

2011-10-01T10:13:00.002-03:00

parallex : skewed features due to lack of of orthogonality... renichi yamada notes in his 2009 monograph - this 3sen occurence - UR corner left.

certain positions are misaligned on the 400u 3sen rose plate. so relative to perforation, they are askew, or offset right.

as this plate derived from the 100u old koban 3sen plate, similar anomolies are likely. further, as the M4 imitation frames derived from same plate - even they should exhibit this askewed nature.

like history, errors repeat ... in photography, parallex shows rectangles as rhomboids - if the lense is not orthogonally centred ... horizon scales are important. today, so many stamps at auction are shot at angles that produce poor images.

maeda's composite plates ... batz method

2011-09-22T11:42:00.004-03:00

fig 1 - enlarged detail of 10sen genuine frame - note the design merges with value.

fig 2 - maeda K series M2-10sen : 2 shades . note the frame design.

corner shadow boxes are evident.

the Batz method was innovation in denmark to produce "bi-color" issue and also influenced the norge posthorn production ... basic design elements frame and design were isolated on 1 plate; and value and text layered on a second plate ... work saving method.

unknowingly, maeda used similar approach with block/screen transfer ... see fig 3 below - merge lines on M3-osaka.

what is signifigant also - this places the 10sen in bota group of imitations . the isjp 2002 CD only records
nijumaru types.

remarks on kobans ...

2011-09-16T13:54:00.002-03:00

10sen /w KxE bota and 2 red marks ?

rev 50sen red /w fold and signature

can anyone provide more information ?

1sen new koban imitations ...

2011-09-16T13:50:00.001-03:00

fig 1

fig 2

fig 1 shows 2 new types ...top row - the 1sen yellow-green var lack the ring that normally surrounds the kiku crest. also frame and numeral anomolies. the 1sen dark green exhibit fake mihon /w katakana.

I have compared both to the Maeda NK design in fig 2 and they are different; so source is unknown. can anyone provide more information ?

determining if false ... (faux)

2011-09-12T14:42:00.000-03:00

50x scope will reveal jagged edges of genuine designs.
imitations show irregularities in the frame lines. (askew)... using metrics software I have discovered V/H variances between positions ... i.e. no standard size exist as die-cut letterpress.
compare image to that of genuine example ... and look for sanko marks ...
TC : torn or cut perforations : no booklets were issued; imitations often show cuts to perfs.
negative image : the genuine inks are more transparent, than imitations (opaque) ... look for extraneous dots from tooling or air bubbles in ink on imitations

1871 announcement ....

2011-09-09T15:48:00.003-03:00

mayeda in canada ...

2011-09-09T15:40:00.001-03:00

Harold Mayeda was secretary of the forerunner club, later chartered as ISJP.org.
working with Capt Talbot, as japanese translator, their goal was to produce a manual for the japanese imitations that collectors cherish ....

the first compendium was Kristian Wilhelmsen 's work of 1980.* Varro Tyler of the ISJP then collaborated with a monograph on the koban imitations. in 1992, I urged the ISJP to edit and review the imitations in a new colour study. the first edition ISJP CD was released in 1995 - 50 years later. an appended V2, followed in 2002.
* the b/w photography is excellent, and I still refer to this study.

collage technique ... adverts

2011-09-02T14:11:00.000-03:00

the image is a serigraph of the main Tokio post office ... the image was reproduced several times on adverts.

... a collage technique was used to add the imitations 1yen green . trappist monks in France, were also teaching printing ...

2011-12 JPS specialised catalog ...

2011-09-01T14:35:00.000-03:00

hoping to find a review soon ...

the specialised catalog of japan, is now in 3 parts ...
various study groups and teams rigorously edit the sections and add new information ...
hopefully, in the years ahead a logicel or online edition will follow ...

google/translate is a great tool for exploring japanese language sites, blogs and auction ...

stanley gibbons in yokohama ... c1900

2011-09-01T14:15:00.000-03:00

stanley gibbons sold his stamp business and became a world traveller. visiting japan
he remarked the scarcity of stamp boutiques. however, it is unclear whether he reached Tokio and beyond ... as issues were withdrawn, the IJPO sold the remainder sheets to dealers in japan, and abroad - usually at 25% face value.

his first encounter was no doubt with Takahashi ...

1893 correspondence

the london press ... 1900

2011-09-01T14:09:00.002-03:00

early catalogers of stamps were fournier in france, and maeda and wada in japan. the facsimile makers were all "cast from the temple of philately" by various society leaders. and a deluge of reports followed : "the spud papers" ... as shown, the main competition that maeda and wada faced, was the I.J.P.O. releasing remainder sheets. so who had the lower cost of production ?

london CV 1900

note the evaluation reflects currency exchange, rather than scarcity value. the 50sen costs more than a 45sen. further, here are 1876 press release kobans ... see left - both are facsimiles ( maeda)

Yamazaki ...

2011-09-01T13:58:00.000-03:00

Kanazawa , capital of Ishikawa prefecture, was built on the site of the old village of Yamazaki - seat of the Maeda clan (16th-19th cent.) note the long pilgrimage to tokio ...

Maeda Kihei's new koban series ...

2011-08-29T13:58:00.000-03:00

Maeda's affiliation with the Wada works is well documented ... his sets appear unused on his editions of K-series tourist sheets. what is shown above are 1883 new kobans. to date, no K sheet offers this set. however, I discovered the set as underprints, on Wada D11 tourist sheet. the D12 sheet also bears the underprints. though printed on sheet, genuine new kobans were applied overtop. with evidence todate, the new kobans remain "unissued" or in the plethora of booklets that followed.

(the glue spots could not be removed without damaging the paper. I will send a larger image to anyone by email) please note the 5sen plate error ... "5-on-10" ... many imitations are shadow cast values, or text...
here a double impression example ... 50sen

classification of imitations ...

2011-08-27T11:04:00.003-03:00

this is how I view the different koban imitations ... based on long-term observation. I have modified my overview several times over 40 years ...

my theory of plate size is shown in the above table ... I assume a maximum plate units of 25 for all tourist sheet plates. indicia plates are known, 2x3 or 2x4 . regardless, the MXV can be greater.

I project changing transfer methods, and source for value plates : woodcut vs genuine. the MXC is always separate block or screens. the MXV is frame plate, with redrawn value text or kanji. serigraph predominates throughout. the innovation was photographic scaling of plates in manufacture - simply "photogravure"

lithography in meiji japan ... via san francisco

2011-08-25T14:38:00.001-03:00

1874-1884 Ottoman Smolik, czech born national, was recruited by Uchida with Pollard to teach lithography method in japan. book publishing was expanding, and classic woodblock method was reserved for artworks.
chromolithography was also an expensive and labour-intensive process.

Smolik in 1877 offered "suname" - relief half-tone method . the halftone-method was pioneered in Montreal by Desbarats and applied to newsprinting. allowing haltone photography, beside text.

unknown if he touched on kobans imitations ??

relief printing ...

2011-08-25T14:21:00.003-03:00

art and technology : printing methodology

Chiossone 1875-1891 " galvanoplastic " relief - electro-membrane method of reproducing plates (Ichida)
the plate making is described in the JSCA catalog and the monographs of JPS. 80, 100 and 400 matrix plates . the method was used by Batz of Denmark, before koban era ...

A relief print is an image created by a printmaking process, such as woodcut, where the areas of the matrix
(plate or block) that are to show printed black (typically) are on the original surface; the parts of the matrix that
are to be blank (white) having been cut away, or otherwise removed. Printing the image is therefore a relatively
simple matter of inking the face of the matrix and bringing it in firm contact with the paper; a printing-press may
not be needed as the back of the paper can be rubbed or pressed by hand with a simple tool.

This contrasts with an intaglio print, such as an engraving or etching (although there can also be relief etching),
where the areas to print black are below the original surface of the matrix, and the original surface of the matrix
will print blank. To print these the whole matrix is inked, and the ink then wiped away from the surface, so that it
remains only in the lines (classically) that the artist has made below the surface of the matrix. Much greater
pressure is then needed to force the paper into the channels containing the ink, and a high-pressure press will
normally be required.

The relief family of techniques includes woodcut, wood engraving, relief etching, linocut, and some types
of collography. Traditional text printing with movable type is also a relief technique, which meant that woodcuts
were much easier to use as book illustrations, as they could be printed together with the text, whilst intaglio
prints such as engravings had to be printed separately.

The other traditional families of techniques are:
• intaglio , including engraving, etching and drypoint,
• planographic , including techniques such as lithography; here all the original surface of the matrix
remains, but the image is created by treating some areas of the surface,
- but modern developments have created other types.

1860 0.5 groshen - hannover de

2011-08-25T14:13:00.000-03:00

Chiossone worked and studied in germany and england before being assigned to japan. the design shown, influenced both the norway posthorn ; and the japanese koban series ...

Batz of denmark, trained the designor of posthorn. electro-typing of cliches assigned in a random matrix of 100 . the Norge posthorn series predated the 1876 kobans ... however, chiossone borrowed design elements for the 5 sen brown ...

an interesting parallel.

mihon 20sen ...

2011-08-20T13:53:00.001-03:00

remarkably, the same position exists in 2 printings... and the same perf cut . this confirms reprints exist.
see details ... right image may be photo-serigraph.

dies and kobans ...

2011-07-28T14:35:00.001-03:00

the item on right is suspect - with anomolies that imply possible rotary press reprint. lack of detail, extraneous dots and well placed cancels. the JSCA koban section does not focus on die size as an important parameter.

only taisho section draws attention to die-size. when examining kobans, always bear this in mind.

comments welcomed from readers...

kobans and advertising ...

2011-07-18T15:24:00.000-03:00

several european companies used images of japan in their adverts... monestaries in france produced several postcard series from their printing presses. note characteristics of the 15sen koban...

2011 what's new ...

2011-06-29T14:43:00.000-03:00

as moderator of a myhilately hosted group dedicated to koban imitations ... I invite serious readers to join ... post your own images, comments and Q&A ...

new view on koban imitations ...

2011-05-14T19:18:00.000-03:00

I believe : that kobans imitations are the work of one artist, Maeda Kihei... the 25 position spiro plates are forerunners ... designed in japan, and distributed by Spiro Bros of Hamburg, DE

the ISJP CDrom V2 2002 and Ron Casey's recent monograph 17 on the tourist sheets , both reflect the koban plates in an associative manner ... the evolution of the plates and their distribution methods ... the earliest koban imitations appeared in sheet format ... names associated with koban imitations are : Spiro Bros (1875-80) and later, 1893- : Kamigata (Maeda Kihei) and Wada Katoro of japan ... my study approach is intuitive: assuming and projecting woodblock design ... all are irregular trapeziods, handtooled .... so metal-plate typography is an unlikely method of manufacture .... the japanese government would have prohibited reproductions...

woodblock method - traditionally separates the designer from the marketplace ...the view of the artist, hence becomes sharper focused ... my personal investigation, treats all koban forgeries as : primitive-fine-very fine ... apprenticeship to master hikku... the development of drawing and carving skills and tooling improves over time ... commonalities between values also make me pose questions regarding production method and overlay patterns... for readers interested , David Bull , living in Japan delivers a fine account of woodblock method .

revised study ... now available

2011-05-14T14:36:00.001-03:00

historically, little has been written to describe these woodblock koban sheets ... analysis of the 14 spiro koban sheets has revealed some interesting patterns ... I have compiled results with images and rationale. it is also a collectors guide: pdf album pages for each value and anotated catalog of 315 positions... to enjoy the full experience of CD, be sure to download Picasa3 ... to view the image library.

some positions remain unallocated ... and I am always looking for new ones !

registered users receive free upgrades ... anyone who sends a signifigant number of spiro imitations can trade for the study - otherwise.

5sen unknown spiro position

2011-05-14T13:43:00.000-03:00

the 5sen brown is from an unknown spiro sheet ... the cancel just touches on the upper frame ... this shows clearly in the negative image ...

...analysis of imitations or suspect kobans follows ... starting with a 400pixel width image, having verified the "orthogonality" with Picasa tool, I form a negative image ... at this stage ... l@@k for tooling matrix dots in the design .... next, remove all colour, hue from negative ... to display the woodblock pattern ...

building a image library, will allow identification of items ... and plating of position in a matrix

Spiro koban sheets, blocks and singles ...

2011-05-14T12:29:00.002-03:00

Spiro Koban sheets - 1875-80

Tom Zane recounts in the V2 ISJP CD on Forgeries, that historically Melville and Earee¹, reviewed Philip Spiro's japanese imitations in the 19c philatelic press. ... currently the goal of my active plate study , is to qualify and quantify all positions in a nomenclature structure - or catalog system . ...known value-printings: 5rin and 1, 2 , 4 , 5 and 10sen sheets. ... these can be separated into 2 groups - type a : /w 16 petal kiku ; and type b : with 13 petal kiku ... further, within each value-group - separation characteristics are to be discovered ... unique to each plate ...
as the roman-nodate cancels and obliterators^* are black ink random overlays of sheet production; these allow correlation analysis ... to date, many positions remain uncatalogued, so this points to volumous multi-layouts for all sen values. no doubt more sheets will surface in time ...
1875 marked the beginning of Japanese foreign mail service, so the 'jokohama' and 'nagasaki' no-date thimbles are an early projection of the genuine roman-letter foreign seamail indicia... published evidence to date, and anomolies of the romaji ... allow focus on a spiro-maeda-wada equation (early-middle-late periods)... and study may solve the true origin and matrices of the koban plates of "unknown" dimension ... (a.k.a. "litho" wada positions)... suppositions or hypothesis of this survey must be proven in time. ( Maeda Kihei of Japan ... a.k.a. Kamigata in V2cd ISJP on forgeries ... )
readers are urged to participate with any spiro positions from your collection : singles, blocks or entire sheets. ... please scan @600dpi-200% magnification ... a black vinyl stockcard is best suited for small lots... otherwise, if you have items for sale or trade, please contact me directly.
regards,
1. 22 were described in detail by the Reverend Robert B. Earee in the third edition of Album Weeds, How to Detect Forged Stamps.

no orthogonality exist with imitations ... to help you identify spiro imitations ... visit the isjp.org

5rin imitations ... warning

2011-05-13T15:49:00.000-03:00

Wada Katoro did not produce any ... and Maeda Kihei has been identified as designer of one position grey-black koban ... however, looking at the 25 position spiro sheets : 3 16-petal kiku sheets exist ... that I would class as troublesome to the collector ...

close examination of the kiku design , and comparison to the genuine is required ... on the left is a spiro-kiku; on the right a genuine-kiku design. in the imitations, normally a dot appears in the core ... also the petals are mishapen ...

note the variance in the oval frame designs ...

5sen spiro sheet : 05b-03 B6

2011-05-13T14:29:00.002-03:00

the positions are remarked ... my thought is the sheet woodblock is N-N-N ... that is Nagasaki overall. anyone with other positions, or scans please contact me. I am mapping the cancel blocks or MXC.

10sen blue spiro /w missing colour ...

2011-05-12T14:46:00.000-03:00

the shows a plate flaw - from 10b-02 sheet

10sen spiro vars ...

2011-05-12T14:41:00.000-03:00

the 10sen vars are spiro types - #3 is most commonly seen.

#1 and 2 show later color shades, as new kobans.

I am looking for other positions.

interim period : 1880-1890

2011-05-01T14:47:00.003-03:00

I have described the spiro 5*5 sheets as forerunner koban reproductions ... these featured 5rin, 1sen, 2sen, 4sen, 5sen and 10sen values only .... before the tourist sheets appeared in the 1890s, 10 years elapsed ... the relative scarcity of the so-called "wada litho plates" can only mean that later koban issues : 3sen, 6sen, 12sen, 15sen, 20sen, 30sen, 45sen and 50sen - only appeared in single format ... to date, no repro-multiples or sheets have appeared ...

hence, forerunner 12sen koban imitations are the "wada litho plate" positions* ... secondly, the "maeda K-series" TS kobans** finally, the "wada typographic" kobans ... examples are shown vertically ....

my view : all are maeda designs : early-middle-and late period imitations ...

* imagine these were "interim-spiro-plate" production, not issued as sheets 5x5 : but as singles only

**the rarer maeda singles that appeared only unused state : are finer designed objects ...

origin of spiro sheets ...

2011-05-01T14:41:00.000-03:00

the CD project reflects 12 spiro sheets, or 300 positions. the woodblock method has been sucessfully decoded and further sheets will surface in time ...

all are japanese origin ... past literature stated these were the work of Philip Spiro of Hamburg, DE . however, he disclaimed he was maker; only a dealer-distributor ... his dealings began 1864, and ceased in 1880. the golden era of facsimiles by international graphic artists...

my view, is that all koban reproductions or imitations are the work of one artist - Maeda Kihei

Spiro plate cancel matrix : MXC

2011-05-01T14:25:00.000-03:00

the 10sen shown is from plate 1, position 13 ... as an example of a spiro-plate repro, it is unique in unused state ... only a faint mark appears in the SE corner on the perfs. normally, spiro sheets bear 9 black cancels : roman-letter or FM obliterators in combination1 ... this group I term an MXC - or, cancel matrix ... cross-comparison of the value plates, and redrawn plates for each value ... a sharing of the same MXC is evidenced* ... so far, 6 MXCs have been defined and coded ... e.g. NJJ-JNJ-NJN ( where N = Nagasaki , J = Jokohama) further, their application to the value print, also shows on 1 sheet a left-shift ... the woodblock sheets were printed from 2 blocks : value and indicia ...

1 many spiro repro remain hidden in collections, since a partial roman-letter cancel can escape the eye of only an astute philatelist ... also many kobans /w FM botas : "white-cross" and "star" obliterators - should be examined for authenticity ... primarily 4sen and 10sen values ...

cross-comparison of the "wada-litho, typo repros" should also reveal sharing and shifts , across and between sen values

Douglas Myall, author of The Complete Deegam Handbook on Machins, has been my tutor in analysis methods... this foremost philatelist, has developed a rigorous analysis of GB machins ... these methods and concepts can be applied to koban reproductions ... the MXC hence, flows as the phosphor overlay on QE2 machins ... producing shifts or anomolies ... perforation varies greatly on the spiro-repros , so the PIPI system (perf-imperf) also helps explain these positions...

tourist sheet cancels on imitations...

2011-05-01T14:02:00.000-03:00

WANTED : koban imitations bearing any of the bota or double-circle (nijumaru) cancels forms shown ...please send item scans 600dpi-2x images ...stamptrader.ca@gmail.com

stamptrader.ca worldwide offers

HES imitations offered 1:1 ...

tourist sheets of japan ... ISJP

2011-05-01T13:59:00.000-03:00

Ron Casey , now editor of JP has compiled information on the source of koban forgeries of Japan in ISJP Monograph 17 - a study of "tourist sheets" ... a masterful work ... finest research, chronology and printing ...this is the best companion reference to ISJP V2 CD on forgeries, no doubt ! anecdotally ... the world fairs' of 1900 in Paris and London - "Crystal Palace", were largest sales of these items... Ron reported 50000 sheets ordered for Paris fair alone (Gely) ...the global popularity of tourist sheets - was due to scarcity of early period covers and adhesives of Japan; sought by foreign philatelists ... no IPO foreign service operated until 1875. the foreign treaty POs carried the seapost. plus the fact that "double-envelope" system 1871-1875... precluded any IPO signatures abroad... only domestic mails....as copyists in Japan, Maeda and Wada recaptured this era of postal history in a most imaginative and artistic way ... or "floating world"

BPP expert marks ...

2011-04-30T15:24:00.000-03:00

... the BPP in europe appoints experts for areas of philately...
these marks or stamps were applied in the past to imitations or forgeries ...

this is no longer the case however... experts issue a statement : forgery or not. or a certificate if genuine is issued.

1 Eichhorn (current) 2 Kruger (to 1981) 3 Pape (to 1966) 4 Zweiling (to 1971) 5 Kruger (to 1981

these stamps are collectable, but damage the imitations unecessarily.

this policy of stamping imitations is followed by some online auctions today... hence, the goods are damaged before sale by amateurs or non-experts ... lowering prices realised. ... liability if genuine ???
should we not follow the experts ?

what is your opinion ???

new cancels ...

2011-04-30T14:27:00.000-03:00

each of cancel forms represent a woodblock overlay pattern on koban F sheets. I am interested in acquiring other positions to map the plate printed ... I welcome scans or items from readers.

the spiro-maeda-wada equation ...

2011-04-30T13:53:00.000-03:00

I have already stated my premise : all koban imitations are the work of one woodblock artist ... perusing the "K-series" kobans - ex Kamigata K sheets, reveals the same errors of romaji ... and style of letter cuts ... this series is scarce in unused format ... a few cancels are defined ...

any readers who own Kamigata tourist sheets, please contact me ... if possible I would like to acquire 600dpi-200% images of the kobans on sheet.

further inspection and analysis of the wada litho and typo series has begun ... I am using the deegam matrix as a guide to code the indicia ... these sets will enable extensions of woodblock slug blocks , beyond the ISJP 2002 CD. ...my view : value sheets (MXV) may be / are greater than 6 positions as spiro matrix (5*5) .... mxv = (3*2) ... (5*5)

koban papers ...

2010-09-01T13:52:00.000-03:00

kobans ... and trading

2010-09-01T13:49:00.001-03:00

for specialists : I have complied pdf reports of groups of kobans... maruichi and telegraph (denshin) cancels

these are traded based on JSCA catalog ECV .... will exchange for FM cancels I need for my collection; or koban imitations ... botas in particular. please enquire...

genuine and imitative kobans

2010-09-01T09:47:00.000-03:00

Kobans and the JPS ...

Japanese philately has changed more in the last decade than decades previous ...

The internet and new philatelic tools - the ability to scan and relay images to other philatelists; has assisted both research and the auction business greatly. JPS members are very active in this area, and many revisions to the specialised JSCA catalog reflect this today. ... the specialised series in now in 3 parts ... classifications have been augmented, restructured and many new varieties have been detailed.... any serious koban collector follows this system. Old Koban group : 80 or 100 position plates , whereas the Yu and New Koban group were 100 or 400 position plates .... some die anomolies are detailed in the JSCA catalog - allowing separations of 100-400 plates ... perf variations : comb to bickel perforator.
the JPS members also author specialised mongraphs ... these are Japex introductions, and are all expensive to acquire. a new plate guide is available for HES : narumi press co ...

Koban Forgeries and the ISJP...

Relative to the dragon and cherry blossom issues 1871-75, which have been heavily forged or imitated - identifying koban forgeries is an easier task. For novice koban collectors, coverage is primarily the Old Kobans 1876-80, which predate the UPU and New Koban series to 1892. ... some new koban varieties , exist imperforate ; and are likely stationery cutouts... caveat emptor for 6sen, 12sen, 30sen and 45sen denominations however... some very skillful "unsigned" forgeries exist - sanko or "signed" forgeries are online @ the isjp.org ...

Again, the monograph on Japanese Classic Forgeries 2002 edition is a key reference for all... allowing an audit of personal holdings; and advice regarding acquisitions of new material from auction or dealers. Many houses today still post obvious forgeries as genuine stamps. ... ISJP.ORG site is superb ! you will find links to additions and corrections pages edited recently .... note also ... the isjp.org is offering a free service to members ... forgery objects will be reviewed via image scans provided via email transfer ... and a opinion rendered : forgery or not ..

also, here is a useful link to Hideo Endo's : Forgery Cancellations

JPS : 2009 new monographs ...

2009-11-13T14:18:00.005-04:00

the JPS shop offers 2 new monographs on the old and new koban series

koban X ... imperfs

2009-08-07T13:52:00.002-03:00

these items were reviewed in JP some years ago, and since forgotten ...
part of 1963 kelleher sale in the USA. being imperfs, they were described as proofs ... and appeared in seven colour trials ... a proper term is essay

clearly, both are 16 petal kiku as the known spiro sheets ... characteristics reveal they are closer to redrawn plate or retouched matrix ... MXC2

chiossone did send graphics to the Boston Expo, year ? can anyone provide more information on this series ... Boston and Genoa were "twin cities" ...

modern repros and manipulations ...

2009-08-06T14:23:00.004-03:00

recently from japan, I have seen 2 imperf b10 repros of the 45sen and 50sen kobans ... both bear mihon markings ... also an unused 1yen has appeared with inverted crest on white paper ...

a warning was posted in JP-isjp.org some years ago, mentioned that kobans exist with altered perfs, and fake mihon ovpts ... (never issued by IJPO). regretably, there was no followup, identifying which kobans were on the list ... a tokyo group was the source.

caveat emptor : beyond the imitation series, some skilful alterations of genuine issues or "gizu" exist ... follow the latest JSCA tables closely, and seek expertization when required ...

hopefully, the JPS expert committee will offer new advice to collectors.

the floating world ...

2009-07-22T14:31:00.002-03:00

the study of koban imitations is fascinating ... in time, I hope to achieve original prints of the various designs, with their original designed MXC or cancel matrix.

compared to the ISJP CD on forgeries of 2002, this new outlook should prove rewarding ... the focus, changes from plate-position-state ... to the overlay plate of indicia.

the contibution to japanese philately by woodblock artists cannot be underestimated ... most of the indicia were hand-carved from boxwood or pine, some bamboo ... also the dragon and cherry blossoms were acid-etched 40 position plates ... medium changed from cherrywood to wax-coated copper sheets ...

Enkakushi - Genuine and forgery

2009-07-12T13:23:00.001-03:00

From Japanese kobans 1876-92

300 copies of genuine Enkakushi were produced in Japan for diplomatic use ... most residual copies were destroyed in fire that followed 1923 Earthquake. the enkakushi depicted all genuine japanese stamps to date of issue. Kristian Wilhelmsen noted that special plates were made for 1871 dragons as supplies were exhausted, and withdrawn prior to 1896. so these are the rarest of dragons ... I term these "laughing buddhas" ...
the negative image speeds plating in 8x5 matrix.
,
Wada Kotaro followed with a facsimile edition... ISJP Index to JP, reports dates of 1896.3 for genuine and 1896.10 for forgery editions... Wada not having produced any koban forgeries of his own, thereby recruited and included the Maeda series unused in his compilation... fewer copies exist today of imitation enkakushi, than genuine - seldom seen at auction - both command high realised values...

the fact that some genuine postal stationery was included in the facsimile enkakushi, forced the IJPO to seize and destroy most ...

Tokio botas ...

2009-05-04T14:22:00.000-03:00

From Japanese kobans 1876-92

this is an example of a Meiji Tokyo bota and n3b2 nujimaru or double circle cancel ... a.k.a. duplex cancel ... during the early period of the IJPO the foreign mails were handled by a separate FMPO in the city ... in modern times, with routing procedures and labeling, substations in the tokyo district can now handle foreign mails ... the JSCA catalog features the above and a reverse image form of the bota ... surprisingly, the 2008 cancel reference does not go further ... many substations used the TB form as an obliterator ... on imitation kobans - there exist 2 cancel forms ....

Horst Mueller of Japan, is a lifelong koban specialist. we share a common passion ... Horst has hosted a site "Kobans" for many years ... within the bota section, he shows the many forms of specialised TBs ... do visit ...

2009-04-24T14:12:00.002-03:00

here are 2 commemorative items ... top from posta italia, and the bottom from japan post. both feature similar profile portraits of Edoardo Chiossone. note the incorrect kiku design in posta italia ... genuine is 16 petal

Universal Postal Union ... 1874-5

2009-02-22T14:40:00.000-04:00

Japan joined the earlier General Postal Union, 24 members ... In 1875, UPU was created. this year marked the beginning of the IJPO foreign mail service ... the negative cross is from a 25 year UPU official IJPO document. incidentally, the spiro koban sheets, act as ambassadors of the postal reform ... all the 5*5 sheets bear YH75 botas, and nodate-roman letter indicia ... the negative cross, predominates as a bota in the various imitative series ...

koban proofs ...

2008-09-27T14:38:00.000-03:00

reading the literature on the early koban proofs, raises some confusion ... woodward believed the proofs were lithographed, and spaulding points to die size being 0.5mm larger than final typo examples. likely, these were prepared before the die hardening process...

plate proofs printed on wet parchment paper are very smooth lined ... the proof sheets : 2 steel and 1 parchment. this sandwich was then placed between 2 rollers - or, perhaps a flat plate impression was made ... result, a fine impression, closest to artist drawing.

the typographic press plates, differ ... dry paper method...

hardening of the die, transfer to plate matrix , then rolling to fit a rotary press. result, the increased temperatures and pressures cause both shrinkage and metal striations ( as igneous rock) ...

modern typography, can add a chroming process to rotary-typo-plate to minimize faults.

restoration methods ...

2008-06-20T14:59:00.001-03:00

Warning: Avoid soaking Kobans in water, as severe curling occurs with some papers (Thin bluish-white paper, 1888 brown gum coated paper). Placed in water, they rapidly form cylinder shapes. This is very annoying... Place such a stamp very carefully to dry on glass, printed side up. Water occlusion on glass will immediately help stabilization. Then when moderately dry, very carefully transfer the stamp to a hingeless mount until fully dry.

PRINZ UHU Hinge Mark Remover is excellent for clearing paper adhesions and old hinges. Carefully applied with a fine brush, it can also be used to clear debris from mint stamps. It does not disturb gum surfaces. Be careful however, not to get solution on the stamp face itself. Other hinge remover solutions can react with inks, and should avoided. All red or crimson inks for koban are somewhat fugitive, so I buffer with fresh white blotting paper to printed side down.

The softer koban papers (JSCA C and D) should be cleaned only with shovel-nose stamps tongs, (smooth round surface towards the stamp); or a fine artists brush. Paper thickness can vary on given stamp, so again be very careful. Let these stamps soak longer in solution, before attempting a cleanup. .

Stamps can be placed in a Desert Magic drying book (blotter paper with vinyl interleaves).

As you work, note what is revealed. Vertical or horizontal wiremarks, etc. Place similar stamps in a group on a separate page of the drying book, or glass. Make copious notes of your observations; this speeds sorting later.

Avoid gum removers... If you have to rehabilitate a hopeless or heavily gummed stamp that is in danger of cracking, the PRINZ UHU Hinge Mark Remover can again be used to relax the paper and gum. Saturate stamp, then replace in either a hingeless mount or drying book until completely dry. Be careful as certain inks (reds) are unstable using this technique. Test first with damaged or faulty stamps.

Clean the watermark tray each time you use this method before moving to another stamp. This avoids depositing fine debris to other kobans. ... also spores that are the cause of "foxing", will not be transferred to other items.

Mildew stains and pencil marks can be removed with PRINZ UHU Hinge Mark Remover also.

For other products, read instructions fully, and experiment first with damaged or faulty stamps. Do not use with fully gummed stamps. Inks can diffuse...

Forgeries .... be very careful with 12sen koban ... rose colour is highly fugitive, and full saturation will weaken colour considerably..

also note, most forgeries arrive well-stuck to backing papers of different types ... ex "tourist sheets" or "booklets" ... thin, soft papers were used to print many dragon and cherry blossom F, so be very careful handling these ... fish glues are most tenacious ... use PRINZ UHU Hinge Mark Remover, and caution with tongs...

scanning philatelic objects ...

2007-09-21T15:34:00.000-03:00

the best backgrounds are safe black vinyl stockcards ... this allows for a flat surface projection, no-glare and basic-visual orthogonality ... once the image is scanned @ 300dpi-200% , it can be further edited with picasa-tools ... many of the images presented here have been complied using this program ... I also favour Ez-Image Pro (Canada) - OCR ability to auto-separate multi-images in to uniform single image format ... provided a black background is part of the original composite image ...

19c Woodblock Printing : Maeda's touch ...

2005-07-23T03:02:00.000-03:00

kamigata-e is an artform peculiar to his district in Japan ... posters and card production, some really fabulous creations... meiji print making is also described as the "floating world" ... david bull, a canadian in Japan defines the technique fully - and is himself a woodblock artist.
the transfer method* applied to the imitations, suggested historically are : woodblock; lithography and typography (ISJP). - I discount typo and litho both: as presses were scarce in japan in 19c, and designs reflect woodblock method.
*this becomes more complex in relation to the "matched" block and decal transfer method - cancel overlayered. ..."black-over-colour" is a japanese signature print-style of this era - as OP or overprint series ... "Masanobu multi-block technique" (Beguin) ...... the decisions a craftsman or artist makes as transfer method reflect his style and character ... link to Maeda's touch ... the palette reflects the design shades of kobans (small block) very well.

Japanese printers - philatelic 1871-2005

2005-06-17T01:19:00.000-03:00

interesting site offering brief synopsis and historical perspective
philatelic houses are listed here ...