Old Tokyo
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OldTokyo.com is an online collection and gallery of vintage Japanese postcards displayed with respective historical detail, 1895-1970. Thank you for "liking"! Be sure to "repost", too!
“Gatekeeper of Kenko-kan”, c. 1920. A young adherent of the Shisa-ba jyunbutsu [‘lion dog’ school] of kenbu.
“Gatekeeper of Kenko-kan”, c. 1920. | Old Tokyo
See also: Japanese master swordsman Hibino “Raifu” Masayoshi, c. 1910. "Kenbu (lit. 'sword dance') is performed in hakama [a type of trouser] and kimono, wearing tabi, a type of divided-toe socks. Var...
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November 29, 2025 at 12:55 PM
“Gatekeeper of Kenko-kan”, c. 1920. A young adherent of the Shisa-ba jyunbutsu [‘lion dog’ school] of kenbu.
The Kawakami Theater’s principal players were Kawakami Otojiro, a raconteur, actor and comedian (and for whom the troupe was named), and his wife, Sadayakko ...
The Kawakami Theater performing “Okan” at Meiji-za, Tokyo, c. 1905. | Old Tokyo
See also: Teruha, the “Nine-fingered Geisha,” c. 1910. The Smiling/Laughing Geisha, c. 1910. Tokyo Amateur Dramatic Club, c. 1910. Kitamura Trio, Tokio’s Foremost Equilibrists, 1917. The Kawakami Thea...
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November 28, 2025 at 4:21 PM
The Kawakami Theater’s principal players were Kawakami Otojiro, a raconteur, actor and comedian (and for whom the troupe was named), and his wife, Sadayakko ...
Main Gate, Sea and Sky Exposition, Ueno Park, Tokyo, 1930, with faux aircraft cowlings and battleship turrets in 3-D relief decorating the gate.
Sea and Sky Exposition, Ueno Park, Tokyo, 1930. | Old Tokyo
See also: Battle of Tsushima Straits propaganda postcard, Russo-Japanese War, 1905. Memorial battleship “Mikasa”, Yokosuka, c. 1930. The Sea and Sky Exposition was open from March 20 thru May 31, 1930...
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November 27, 2025 at 4:11 PM
Main Gate, Sea and Sky Exposition, Ueno Park, Tokyo, 1930, with faux aircraft cowlings and battleship turrets in 3-D relief decorating the gate.
Sumo wrestler Hitachiyama, c. 1910, a yokozuna [grand champion] from 1903-1914 who did much to popularize sumo into becoming the national sport during the Meiji and Taisho eras.
Sumo wrestler Hitachiyama, c. 1910. | Old Tokyo
"Advocates of Hitachiyama's greatness were not content to leave it at a single assertion. Recurring evaluations of the origins and continuing basis of his fame almost invariably cited three things to ...
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November 26, 2025 at 3:09 PM
Sumo wrestler Hitachiyama, c. 1910, a yokozuna [grand champion] from 1903-1914 who did much to popularize sumo into becoming the national sport during the Meiji and Taisho eras.
Crowds packing Theater Street (Rokku), Asakusa, Tokyo, c. 1930.
“Old postcards reveal that in Tokyo’s Asakusa amusement district the already exuberant and fanciful fonts were subjected to the same banner-strewn treatment that might obscure a modest machiya veil at festival time.
“Old postcards reveal that in Tokyo’s Asakusa amusement district the already exuberant and fanciful fonts were subjected to the same banner-strewn treatment that might obscure a modest machiya veil at festival time.
Asakusa Rokku (Theater Street), Tokyo, c. 1930. | Old Tokyo
See also: Asakusa Rokku (Theatre Street), 1910-1950 Hanayashiki, Asakusa Park, c. 1920 Asakusa Park, c. 1910 "... The fascination with cinema [in Japan] was no less than in the West. Accordingly, many...
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November 25, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Crowds packing Theater Street (Rokku), Asakusa, Tokyo, c. 1930.
“Old postcards reveal that in Tokyo’s Asakusa amusement district the already exuberant and fanciful fonts were subjected to the same banner-strewn treatment that might obscure a modest machiya veil at festival time.
“Old postcards reveal that in Tokyo’s Asakusa amusement district the already exuberant and fanciful fonts were subjected to the same banner-strewn treatment that might obscure a modest machiya veil at festival time.
Comparing the ABV levels of various alcoholic beverages, c. 1920, including beer, sake, brandy and whisky. Caption: “The use of alcohol as a stimulant or foodstuff in medicine has no scientific value, and therefore efforts should be made to eliminate it.”
Temperance Movement in Japan postcards, c. 1920. | Old Tokyo
"The Japanese, when intoxicated, are seldom quarrelsome. They sing, dance, and are jolly rather than ugly." - "Japan and Its Regeneration", by Dr. Otis Cary, 1908 Although Japan did not enact a nation...
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November 24, 2025 at 3:02 PM
Comparing the ABV levels of various alcoholic beverages, c. 1920, including beer, sake, brandy and whisky. Caption: “The use of alcohol as a stimulant or foodstuff in medicine has no scientific value, and therefore efforts should be made to eliminate it.”
The Japan Society for the Preservation of Historic Sites, Places of Scenic Beauty, and Natural Monuments, Tokyo, an advocacy group founded by Marquis Tokugawa Yorimichi in 1911, assembling here for a tour of historical sites in Tokyo.
The Japan Society for the Preservation of Historic Sites, Tokyo, 1911. | Old Tokyo
See also: Himeji Castle, c. 1920. The Temple of the 33,333 images of Kwannon, Sanjūsangen-dō, Kyoto, c. 1920. Kiyomizu Temple, Ueno, c. 1910. "In pre-modern Japan, the idea of management or protection...
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November 22, 2025 at 9:49 PM
The Japan Society for the Preservation of Historic Sites, Places of Scenic Beauty, and Natural Monuments, Tokyo, an advocacy group founded by Marquis Tokugawa Yorimichi in 1911, assembling here for a tour of historical sites in Tokyo.
“Mr. H. E. Manwaring, the very capable boniface, who presides over the destinies of the Grand Hotel at Yokohama, is one of the men whose name is known to travelers all over the world. ‘Manwaring? Oh, yes! You mean Manwaring of the Grand, Yokohama, of course!’
Grand Hotel, Yokohama, c. 1910. | Old Tokyo
"Mr. H. E. Manwaring, the very capable boniface, who presides over the destinies of the Grand Hotel at Yokohama, is one of the men whose name is known to travelers all over the world. 'Manwaring? Oh, ...
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November 21, 2025 at 3:43 PM
“Mr. H. E. Manwaring, the very capable boniface, who presides over the destinies of the Grand Hotel at Yokohama, is one of the men whose name is known to travelers all over the world. ‘Manwaring? Oh, yes! You mean Manwaring of the Grand, Yokohama, of course!’
The first streetcars, referred to as a ‘horse trolleys without the horse’ (uma no nai basha), could hold up to forty people, sixteen seated and the rest standing.
Tokyo Streetcars (Tokyo Toden), c. 1910-1920. | Old Tokyo
See also: Horse-drawn trolley, Nihonbashi, c. 1900 Ginza Crossing streetcars, c. 1960 "The first streetcars, referred to as a 'horse trolleys without the horse' (uma no nai basha), could hold up to fo...
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November 20, 2025 at 10:42 PM
The first streetcars, referred to as a ‘horse trolleys without the horse’ (uma no nai basha), could hold up to forty people, sixteen seated and the rest standing.
“Breaking through Yanmen Pass – the army moves in broad daylight.” I.J.A. propaganda postcard, Yànménguān (Yanmen) Pass, Shanxi Province, China, 1937, one of the steepest grades along the Great Wall of China and historically considered one of the Wall’s most important passes.
“Breaking through the barrier” propaganda postcard, Yànménguān (Yanmen) Pass, Shanxi Province, China, 1937. | Old Tokyo
See also: “Assault on Taiyuan Castle”, Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, 1937. “The Battle of the Railway Corps”, 2nd Sino-Japanese War, c. 1940. The Battle of Yànménguān, fought in October 1937, was one of t...
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November 19, 2025 at 4:20 PM
“Breaking through Yanmen Pass – the army moves in broad daylight.” I.J.A. propaganda postcard, Yànménguān (Yanmen) Pass, Shanxi Province, China, 1937, one of the steepest grades along the Great Wall of China and historically considered one of the Wall’s most important passes.
Fukoku Fire & Marine Insurance Co., Ltd. advertising postcard, Tokyo, c. 1930, had its beginnings in 1897 as the Otaru Cargo Insurance Co. Expanding beyond its cargo insurance limitations, the company received approval in 1919 to solicit general commercial insurance coverage concerns.
Fukoku Fire & Marine Insurance Co., Ltd. advertising postcard, Tokyo, c. 1930. | Old Tokyo
"Just over two decades after the first Japanese insurer had been established, the domestic market was in a strong position in early 1900s, pushing foreign insurers to the margins and expanding oversea...
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November 14, 2025 at 12:52 PM
Fukoku Fire & Marine Insurance Co., Ltd. advertising postcard, Tokyo, c. 1930, had its beginnings in 1897 as the Otaru Cargo Insurance Co. Expanding beyond its cargo insurance limitations, the company received approval in 1919 to solicit general commercial insurance coverage concerns.
“Wreck of the S.S. Dakota“, 1907. The American-owned passenger liner ran aground a reef near the entrance to Tokyo Bay. The accident happened close enough to shore to avoid any deaths; passengers and cargo were evacuated before she sank.
The Wreck of the S.S. Dakota, 1907. | Old Tokyo
"When the two huge 20,000-ton sister steamers Dakota and Minnesota, owned by the Great Northern Steamship Company of New York and Seattle, were offered for insurance at Lloyd’s they were treated on mu...
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November 11, 2025 at 9:16 PM
“Wreck of the S.S. Dakota“, 1907. The American-owned passenger liner ran aground a reef near the entrance to Tokyo Bay. The accident happened close enough to shore to avoid any deaths; passengers and cargo were evacuated before she sank.
“Princess Turandot” [トゥーランドット姫], Takarazuka Revue advertising postcard, Tokyo, 1934. The image features the musical’s two stars – Kusabe Yoshiko (left, as Princess Turandot) and Nara Miyako (Prince Calaf) – bracketed at the bottom by a production patron’s advertisement for Club toothpaste.
“Princess Turandot”, Takarazuka Revue advertising postcard, Tokyo, 1934. | Old Tokyo
See also: Takarazuka Gekijo (Theater), Tokyo Takarazuka Revue, “Parisette”, c. 1930. "Club Washing Powder" [クラブ洗粉] advertising postcards, c. 1910. Princess Turandot was based on Count Carlo Gozzi's Tu...
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November 11, 2025 at 9:13 PM
“Princess Turandot” [トゥーランドット姫], Takarazuka Revue advertising postcard, Tokyo, 1934. The image features the musical’s two stars – Kusabe Yoshiko (left, as Princess Turandot) and Nara Miyako (Prince Calaf) – bracketed at the bottom by a production patron’s advertisement for Club toothpaste.
“Domestic and International Communications Network of Correspondents” advertising postcard, Tokyo Nichi Nichi Shimbun, Tokyo, c. 1940.
““Domestic and International Communications Network” advertising postcard, Tokyo Nichi Nichi Shimbun, Tokyo, c. 1940. | Old Tokyo
See also: Tokyo Nichi Nichi Shimbun (Newspaper), Yurakucho, c. 1930. “How Newspapers Come to Be”, Tokyo Asashi Shimbun operations postcard series, c. 1935. The Tokyo Nichi Nichi Shimbun, founded in 18...
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November 10, 2025 at 2:50 PM
“Domestic and International Communications Network of Correspondents” advertising postcard, Tokyo Nichi Nichi Shimbun, Tokyo, c. 1940.
“Boy Scouts practising the motto ‘A good turn daily'”, c. 1920. The Japanese caption (一日一善ノ實行) translates to ‘doing one good deed each day’.(Colorized)
“Boy Scouts practising the motto ‘A good turn daily’”, c. 1920. (Colorized) | Old Tokyo
"The Boy Scouts' movement in Japan dates from about 1913, when they were organized in different parts of the country, but they then were only juvenile cadet corps for military training or simply assoc...
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November 7, 2025 at 8:23 PM
“Boy Scouts practising the motto ‘A good turn daily'”, c. 1920. The Japanese caption (一日一善ノ實行) translates to ‘doing one good deed each day’.(Colorized)
“Mr. M. Oshiro, the proprietor of the Oshiro Steamship Co., Tokyo, and some other business men, intend to purchase the Rosetta Maru and to convert her to a floating hotel. The ship will be anchored in Yokohama and sometimes in Shinagawa.”
– The Japan Weekly Mail, January 26, 1907
– The Japan Weekly Mail, January 26, 1907
Roseta hoter [sic], Tokyo, c. 1910. | Old Tokyo
"Mr. M. Oshiro, the proprietor of the Oshiro Steamship Co., Tokyo, and some other business men, intend to purchase the Rosetta Maru and to convert her to a floating hotel. The ship will be anchored in...
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November 7, 2025 at 3:19 PM
“Mr. M. Oshiro, the proprietor of the Oshiro Steamship Co., Tokyo, and some other business men, intend to purchase the Rosetta Maru and to convert her to a floating hotel. The ship will be anchored in Yokohama and sometimes in Shinagawa.”
– The Japan Weekly Mail, January 26, 1907
– The Japan Weekly Mail, January 26, 1907
“Festive lighting of the 2nd Section”, Peace Commemorative Exposition, Ueno Park, Tokyo, 1922, with the Peace Tower at center.
Evening illuminations, Peace Commemorative Exposition, Ueno Park, Tokyo, 1922. | Old Tokyo
See also: Peace Commemorative Exposition, Ueno Park, Tokyo, 1922. "Preparations for the Tokyo Peace Exposition which is to be held next spring in Uyeno Park are advancing apace. "A large force of offi...
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November 5, 2025 at 2:17 PM
“Festive lighting of the 2nd Section”, Peace Commemorative Exposition, Ueno Park, Tokyo, 1922, with the Peace Tower at center.
50th Anniversary commemorative postcard, Nankai Railway Co., Osaka, 1934. The privately-owned and operated Nankai Electric Railway Co., Ltd. was founded on June 16, 1884 as the Osaka-Sakaikan Railway, the first railway company in Japan to be established purely by private capital.
50th Anniversary commemorative postcard, Nankai Railway Co., Osaka, 1934. | Old Tokyo
The privately-owned and operated Nankai Electric Railway Co., Ltd. was founded on June 16, 1884 as the Osaka-Sakaikan Railway, the first railway company in Japan to be established purely by private ca...
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November 4, 2025 at 7:43 PM
50th Anniversary commemorative postcard, Nankai Railway Co., Osaka, 1934. The privately-owned and operated Nankai Electric Railway Co., Ltd. was founded on June 16, 1884 as the Osaka-Sakaikan Railway, the first railway company in Japan to be established purely by private capital.
“Stand Tall”, Fine Rubber zori inserts/lifts advertising postcard, c. 1930, a synthetic rubber product manufactured by the Small Goods Rubber Manufacturing Co., Nihonbashi, Tokyo. Endorsing the product on this postcard is Kawasaki Hiroko, a popular Shochiku motion pictures actress in the 1930s.
“Stand Tall”, Fine Rubber zori inserts advertising postcard, Nihonbashi, Tokyo, c. 1930. | Old Tokyo
See also: Nippon Tabi Co. Ltd., Kurume, Fukuoka, c. 1930. “Pulling the sled”, c. 1950. Unknown woodblock artist. Zōri (Japanese sandal) wearers sometimes added "fine rubber" heel pads or lifts to enha...
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November 3, 2025 at 3:40 PM
“Stand Tall”, Fine Rubber zori inserts/lifts advertising postcard, c. 1930, a synthetic rubber product manufactured by the Small Goods Rubber Manufacturing Co., Nihonbashi, Tokyo. Endorsing the product on this postcard is Kawasaki Hiroko, a popular Shochiku motion pictures actress in the 1930s.
“Like Mont St. Michel in Normandy ... Enoshima is only completely surrounded by the waves at high tide.
“[W]hen the waters abate, a stretch of sand is revealed, rendering it possible to cross to the island dryshod.”
– “Enoshima”, The Japan Magazine, July 1912
“[W]hen the waters abate, a stretch of sand is revealed, rendering it possible to cross to the island dryshod.”
– “Enoshima”, The Japan Magazine, July 1912
Enoshima Island at low tide, c. 1910. | Old Tokyo
See also: “Whole View of Yenoshima” from Katase, c. 1910. Enoshima, c. 1910-1960. "Like Mont St. Michel in Normandy, and its namesake St. Michael's Mount in Cornwall, Enoshima is only completely surro...
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October 30, 2025 at 8:15 PM
“Like Mont St. Michel in Normandy ... Enoshima is only completely surrounded by the waves at high tide.
“[W]hen the waters abate, a stretch of sand is revealed, rendering it possible to cross to the island dryshod.”
– “Enoshima”, The Japan Magazine, July 1912
“[W]hen the waters abate, a stretch of sand is revealed, rendering it possible to cross to the island dryshod.”
– “Enoshima”, The Japan Magazine, July 1912
A Tokyo high school’s class excursion outside Zushi Station, Zushi, c. 1910. Shūgaku ryokō [lit., “school excursion”] are educational overnight trips organized by schools to provide students with study, recreational and group labor opportunities they would otherwise never experience.
High school class excurision to the Miura peninsula in line outside Zushi Station, Zushi, c. 1910. | Old Tokyo
See also: “The seashore of Zushi”, Miura Peninsula, near Tokyo, c. 1925. Hayama Beach, Kamakura, c. 1910. Kamakura Station, c. 1910. “All the staff and students of Kinjo Girls’ School”, Nagoya, c. 192...
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October 29, 2025 at 4:21 PM
A Tokyo high school’s class excursion outside Zushi Station, Zushi, c. 1910. Shūgaku ryokō [lit., “school excursion”] are educational overnight trips organized by schools to provide students with study, recreational and group labor opportunities they would otherwise never experience.
J.N.R. Tokaido Main Line Limited Express commemorative advertising postcard, 1958, announcing the introduction of “Kodama”, “Tsubame”, “Fuji” and “Hato” high-speed express service on the Tokaido Main Line between Tokyo & Osaka on October 1, 1958.
J.N.R. Tokaido Main Line Limited Express commemorative advertising postcard, October 1958. | Old Tokyo
See also: Tokaido Main Line “Kodama”, c. 1960. C55 Streamlined Locomotive and Mt. Fuji, c. 1940. Tokaido Main Line Railway, c. 1930. "On July 21, 1959, the M.U. electric streamliner Kodama set the wor...
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October 28, 2025 at 4:46 PM
J.N.R. Tokaido Main Line Limited Express commemorative advertising postcard, 1958, announcing the introduction of “Kodama”, “Tsubame”, “Fuji” and “Hato” high-speed express service on the Tokaido Main Line between Tokyo & Osaka on October 1, 1958.
“Hall of Long Life”, Hoshi Onsen Chōjukan, Minakami-machi, Gunma Prefecture, c. 1920. Guests of the inn pose outdoors of the 150-year-old onsen ryokan [hot spring inn], enjoying the winter mountain air after soaking in one of the four onsen the famous inn provides. #japan #onsen
“Hall of Long Life”, Hoshi Onsen Chōjukan, Minakami-machi, Gunma Prefecture, c. 1920. | Old Tokyo
See also: Onsen (hot springs) culture. Dogo Onsen, Matsuyama (Iyo District), Ehime, Shikoku, c. 1910. Izu Funabara Onsen postcard series, Izu City, Shizuoka, c. 1930. Chōjukan ryokan (inn) at Hōshi On...
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October 27, 2025 at 2:37 PM
Hebihime-sama (“Snake Princess”) was the first installment of a two-part serial "all-star" movie, released by Toho Eiga in April, 1940. The director, Teinosuke Kinugasa, was an important figure in early Japanese cinema, as a pioneering filmmaker and a link to postwar prestige cinema.
“Snake Princess” (Hebihime-sama), Toho Movie Studios promotional postcard, 1940. | Old Tokyo
See also: Tokyo-Takazaruka Eiga K.K. (Tokyo-Takarazuka Motion Picture Co.) studio, c. 1938. “Tokyo Matsuri” advertising postcard, 1933. “Gekimetsu” (“Annihilation”) motion picture advertising postcard...
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September 15, 2025 at 3:45 AM
Hebihime-sama (“Snake Princess”) was the first installment of a two-part serial "all-star" movie, released by Toho Eiga in April, 1940. The director, Teinosuke Kinugasa, was an important figure in early Japanese cinema, as a pioneering filmmaker and a link to postwar prestige cinema.
Discovered over 300 years ago, access to these hot springs were initially exclusive to monks and daimyo samurai. The springs became accessible to the general public during the Meiji period (1868-1912).
“Hotels seen on side of fine stream”, Kinugawa Onsen District, Nikko, c. 1930. | Old Tokyo
See also: Kanaya Hotel, Nikko, c. 1920. “Three Monkeys carving at Iyeyasu Temple”, Nikko, c. 1920. Nikko, Japan, c. 1910. The Kinugawa Onsen area itself has a storied past. Discovered over 300 years a...
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April 28, 2025 at 1:58 PM
Discovered over 300 years ago, access to these hot springs were initially exclusive to monks and daimyo samurai. The springs became accessible to the general public during the Meiji period (1868-1912).