This page is dedicated to the Japanese Song Stamps. They are part of a category of music-themed stamps featuring songs or pieces of music. In most cases, such stamps feature patriotic songs including national anthems like these stamps from Guatemala, Uruguay, and Chile. Sometimes a piece of music is used in part to celebrate the composer, an example is the stamp of James Weldon Johnson. Stamps that feature other types of songs are highly unusual. This post is about two entire series dedicated to Japanese children’s songs.
The Moon Over the Castle Ruins
Scott Number JP 1375
Japanese Song Issue
Spring Has Come
Scott Number JP 1399
Between 1979 and 1981, Japan created eighteen stamps featuring children’s songs, issued in sets of two. Each stamp had a snippet of written music on it along with an image capturing the theme of the song. The series is known as the “Japanese Song Issue.” Although the songs are considered children’s pieces, they actually have an important political and national purpose.
Beginning in the late nineteenth century, the Japanese government led an effort to modernize and industrialize the country. As a part of this, they embraced western elements of music and a new genre, called Yōgaku was created. The music was structured according to western scales and forms, but was about Japanese life and culture. After World War II, Japan published a book of songs for junior high students, which became well known across the country. Many of the songs on these stamps were in that book.
These songs were part of building a new national identity and the songs were taught to school children. I highly recommend the article From Music to Meme (2): Postage Stamps Commemorating Japanese Music Education, 1979-1981 by Richard Scott Morel, Curator, Philatelic Collections at the British Library to learn more about this series. Another great resource about this stamp series is from the Motivgruppe Musik and can be found here.
My Favorite Song Series
Years later, Japan released another series of children’s songs. Between 1997 and 1999 they created another eighteen stamps, again in nine pairs, that also featured songs. The series was titled “My Favorite Song Series.” While the majority of the stamps highlight Japanese songs, there are a couple surprises that come from western countries. One such song is “Heidenröslein” by Franz Schubert. But, the biggest surprise is a stamp featuring the song “Jingle Bells.”
Aoi Sanmyaku (Blue Mountains)
Scott Number JP 2613
This is a hub post for these two important series of stamps. In the future, I will use it as the main page that will link to individual articles about the stamps and the songs they feature.
Japanese Song Series (1979-1981)
| Series | Stamp Name | Scott Number |
| 1st Series (1979) | Kōjō no tsuki (Moon over the Castle Ruins) | JP 1375 |
| Yūyake koyake (Evening Glow) | JP 1376 | |
| 2nd Series (1979) | Momiji (Autumn Leaves) | JP 1377 |
| Furusato (Home) | JP 1378 | |
| 3rd Series (1980) | Fuyugeshita (Winter Landscape) | JP 1379 |
| Fujisan (Mt. Fuji) | JP 1380 | |
| 4th Series (1980) | Haru no Ogawa (The Rivulets of Spring) | JP 1381 |
| Sakura, Sakura (Cherry Blossoms) | JP 1382 | |
| 5th Series (1980) | Umi (The Sea) | JP 1391 |
| Oborozukiyo (Misty Moonlight Night) | JP 1392 | |
| 6th Series (1980) | Hi no maru (The Rising Sun) | JP 1393 |
| Natsu no Omoide (Summer Memories) | JP 1394 | |
| 7th Series (1980) | Akatonbo (The Red Dragonfly) | JP 1395 |
| Hamabe no Uta (The Song by the Sea) | JP 1396 | |
| 8th Series (1981) | Komori Uta (The Lullaby) | JP 1397 |
| Yashi no Mi (The Coconut) | JP 1398 | |
| 9th Series (1981) | Haru ga Kita (Spring Has Come) | JP 1399 |
| Hana (The Flower) | JP 1400 |
My Favorite Song Series (1997-1999)
| Series | Stamp Name | Scott Number |
| 1st Series (1997) | Iihi Tabidachi (Departure on a Fine Day) | JP 2587 |
| Tsuki no Sabaku (Desert Under the Moon) | JP 2588 | |
| 2nd Series (1997) | Sunayama | JP 2601 |
| Jingle Bells | JP 2602 | |
| 3rd Series (1998) | Shabondama | JP 2603 |
| Kitaguni no Haru | JP 2604 | |
| 4th Series (1998) | Medaka-no-Gakko | JP 2612 |
| Aoi Sanmyaku (Blue Mountains) | JP 2613 | |
| 5th Series (1998) | Nobara (Heidenroeslein / Wild Roses) | JP 2618 |
| Mikan-no hana saku oka (A Hill Where Orange Blossoms Bloom) | JP 2619 | |
| 6th Series (1998) | Kono-michi (This Road) | JP 2622 |
| Ware-wa umi-no-ko (I am a Child of the Sea) | JP 2623 | |
| 7th Series (1998) | Ringo-no uta (The Apple Song) | JP 2648 |
| The Cha-Cha-Cha Toy | JP 2649 | |
| 8th Series (1999) | Kawano nagareno-youni (As a River Flows) | JP 2656 |
| Shiki-no uta (Song of the Four Seasons) | JP 2657 | |
| 9th Series (1999) | Sukiyako | JP 2643 |
| Early Spring | JP 2667 |