Japan - Japan - Postcard (4) - 1904-1900

Rare lot of 4 Japanese-themed vintage postcards with DIVIDED BACK? No—UNDIVIDED BACK - Includes 2 with moving flaps and 2 with iridescent gold prints (Kohn & Bielefeld / Adachi Ginkō) - New / Superb condition - 1900–1904
Exceptional and rare lot consisting of four (4) illustrated Japanese-themed vintage postcards, dating with certainty to the very early twentieth century (1900–1904). All the postcards feature the sought-after “undivided back,” a philatelic and postcard-collecting characteristic that certifies their authenticity and production prior to the 1905 postal reform.
All pieces are in mint, as-new condition, unused and unposted (never written on or stamped), an incredibly rare state of preservation for paper items of this era.
The lot consists of two distinct artistic pairs:
1. Pair with moving flap / Ukiyo-e style (illustrated by Adachi Ginkō):
• Details: Two splendid polychrome postcards in woodblock-print style (nishiki-e), depicting the traditional customs and feminine etiquette of Meiji-era Japan (Shōgaku Joreishiki Zukai). One shows an indoor domestic scene (“Three Geisha at Home”); the other depicts ladies on a veranda overlooking a garden.
• Mechanical feature: Each postcard has a perfectly preserved, working surprise paper flap in the upper corner, which lifts to reveal a hidden silhouette beneath.
2. Black lacquer-style pair with iridescent gold prints (published by Kohn & Bielefeld):
• Details: Two magnificent Art Nouveau / Japonisme-style postcards printed in fine chromolithography to imitate the visual effect of fine Japanese black lacquer (urushi). They are enhanced with splendid flat gold-printed inserts with iridescent metallic tones, depicting detailed bird motifs and floral compositions.
• Feature: In keeping with the period’s undivided-back regulations, both postcards have the classic fixed, light-colored rectangular space on the front (untouched and never written on), originally designed by the publisher to allow greetings to be written directly on the illustrated side.
• Publisher’s mark: The back of this pair bears the prestigious trademark “K. & B. D. 664,” attesting to their outstanding craftsmanship by the historic German publisher Kohn & Bielefeld (Hannover).
Condition Report:
• Front: Excellent. Colors are vivid and bright; the flaps on the first pair are intact and perfectly secure. The dark surface and gold inserts on the second pair are smooth and free of wear, scratches, or abrasions. Sharp corners and edges, with no creases or tears.
• Back: Clean, white, untouched, and strictly undivided (no writing or stamps).
• A truly notable lot of high historical value, ideal for enhancing discerning collections of vintage postcards and mementos of the early twentieth-century Japonisme phenomenon.