Committee’s Award winner 2021
Exhibit : Hi-no-Yojin (fire prevention in Japan)
Boxes of matches used to be a familiar printed matter and were regarded fondly by people. But as a throw-away object, their life tends to be short. I embrace their fate and continue to collect them as a record of our everyday life.
I have been collecting for 30 years (labels and skillets 50,000+).
My collection mainly focuses on Japanese labels for export matchboxes in the Meiji – Taisho era (1868 – 1926).
I am also interested in Japanese advertisement matchboxes used for pro-war propaganda produced just before Japan’s defeat in WWII.
Some of these labels are shown in the gallery below, click on an image to enlarge it.
Japan export to India, Meiji – Taisho era
Japan export label, Meiji – Taisho era
Japan pro-war propaganda label, WWII
Japan pro-war propaganda label, WWII