Need Help - Japanese Revenue Stamps - 1901 Or 1914?

Can anyone tell me, with certainty, the year these were canceled? I know the month for sure is 2 (FEBRUARY) but I need the exact date.
Thanks!

Don't take this to the bank, but it looks like you have the 20 sen orange and 1 yen red examples that started being issued in 1924.

Under the emperor-based calendar, year 14 of Taisho would correspond to 1925, and year 14 of Showa would correspond to 1939.

So I suspect February 1, 1925, but if other evidence on the card pointed to 1939, I'd believe that, too.

Next guesser...

thank you Cjd. you have helped me tremendously!

Note that the date-stamp of the original document (as prepared, before the revenue stamps were bought and applied) is about 18 days earlier.

I agree with Cjd. Unfortunately, the postmark is 3 stars postmark. This makes it impossible to determine 100%. 3 stars postmarks were used only for transactions inside the post office, not for cancelling letters, except during WW2 (especially in the occupied land) and little after it. Usually in the bottom row, there is a time frame instead of stars. How they divide those time frames helps to determine the period of use. For example, if the time frame shows you "PM 0-3", it means it is between Taisho 2 and Showa 5 (1913-1930). From december 1930 the time frame changed to AM 0-8, AM 8-12, PM 0-4, PM 4-8 and PM 8-12.
Another way to determine is by the postal rate,but in this case, it is a revenue stamp. 3yen 60sen seems awfully lot for a 1924 duty. It corresponds roughly about present rate 180USD. If the duty is 10% it means that the declared value of the parcel is 1800USD. BUT! if you see the signature of the recipient, you see it is not for personal purpose but commercial one. Dai Do shoji(merchant) KK (kabushiki Gaisha/Co., Ltd. "G" of Gaisha is a phonetic liaison so it is "k" when you spell it in japanese, therefore "KK") , so I guess it is very possible. I think it would be fair to say likely 1924 like Cjd mentioned. The value of 3yen 60sen in 1939 in present rate is roughly 45 to 50USD in case you are wondering.

now to the next guesser..

OK. in Japanese postmark's the script reads from right to left.
The last number (at left) is the year under emperor-base calendar.

KEIOU Era : 1864 + left number
MEIJI Era : 1867 + left number
TAISHO Era: 1911 + left number
SHOWA Era : 1925 + left number
HEISEI Era: 1988 + left number

This is a first day cancel (HEISEI Era) : 9.5.30



So is 30-5-1988+9 = 30 May 1997

I'm right?

jorgesurcl,
Well done! Your table makes things much easier!
But I would like add one thing. I forgot from exactly which year but from the end of 1960's to 1979, there was few types of postmark using western dating system: day/month/western year.

16th november 1970 Sapporo. The first one is called: Tanpagata-yokogaki-gengo nashi, literally meaning short wave type-horizontal writing-without japanese year




18th may 1970 Numazu. The second one is called: waobun kikai hizukein, meaning Japano European writing machine cancel. In fact it is a meter stamp.



Those are few exceptions but otherwise your table apply and works very well! As far as I know, I do not know any Japanese postmark using western dating system after 1979.

I find this to be a fascinating discussion as I never paid much attention to the dates in my Japanese stamps. However, I had to take another look.

I did find a meter stamp with a slightly later date (June 12, 1999).



I then located a letter in my collection from a Japanese Pharmacy to the US Vitamin Corporation. The postmark on the front appears to be 11-10-36 (November 10, 1936) and this is confirmed by the US postmark on the back. It looks like there were isolated cases of Western Postal Date systems even earlier than 1960.

Partime,
I appologize somehow my post was misleading. I should have used a real machine cancel as an example. But intead I have used a meter stamp because that was all I had in my hand. Yes, in meter stamps they are western dating system. By the way, very nice Dairen oversees postmark. These are pretty expensive nowdays in Japanese auction sites.

to all others,
My post was meant for postmarks in Japanese. There are postmarks used exclusively for oversees purpose which is entirely in western alphabet. Those use western dating system and using it now as well. Im really sorry for my lack of explanation :(

Similar approaches, using different measures, apply for Manchukuo postmarks, too. Also a ruler-based calendar, and occasional western-style dating, just to keep things interesting.

No doubt owing to the Japanese "influence."

Prahanoaki,

Thank you again for the input into this discussion. I only have one letter in my entire collection from Japan, so it is nice to know the relationship between postage used between countries and postage used solely within a country. (From my typical American viewpoint, I assume that EVERYONE uses the Western system, and has always done so ...)

Also glad to hear that my Darien postmark, as simple as it seems, could have some value. Always interested in finding more surprises in Grandma's old collection.

Thanks to everyone else in this thread also.

Japan Translation Please
Perhaps a Precis enough for an Album Page?
Thanks

Tax revenue "Shunyu Inshi" 1898-1909
5 Rin with Plum Flower "ume"
also used in China, Korea, and Manchuria.

I'd like a brief explanation of the mutilated stationery.

I was about to send a reply but I guess it's already done in another thread. Good thing I've checked. Nice wrapping indeed. It sounds like a wonderful almighty pills! It's good for throat ache, fever, asthma, gallstone and even rheumatism according to the wrapping... wow!

Thanks for your confirmation.
I had no replies to this originally, so had to build another thread.

This shard may go towards explaining why today, we have ingredients printed on the pack.