What is a postmark (stamp) anyway?
A postmark (stamp) is stamped on mail.
There are two main meanings to this.
- To make it clear when and where the post office accepted the mail from the customer.
- To prove that the postage has been paid properly (postmarks are stamped on the postcard’s postage amount and stamps, right?
Postmarks are also called “communication date stamps” because they contain a date.
What is a special postmark?
In general, a simple circular postmark with the name of the post office, date, and time is often used, but beautifully and stylishly designed postmarks are also sometimes used.
There are several types of special postmarks, so I’ll introduce some of the most common ones.
Landscape stamps (Printed on the day the scenery was entered into the correspondence)
Landscape stamps (scent-included communication date stamps) are deployed at post offices and have the name of the post office or branch, the date field, and a design of a famous or historic site in the vicinity of the post office. According to the regulations, the size of a postmark must be within 36mm in diameter, and there are two types of postmarks: circular regular postmarks and non-circular variant postmarks.
It is characterized by “a design associated with a famous or historic site in the vicinity of the relevant station. For example, the Sky Tree in Asakusa, or the Great Buddha in Kamakura. Not only famous places, but also local specialties and famous people may be designed. You can learn a lot about a region by looking at its landscape seals!
Not all post offices have them.
Special stamps (special communication day to print)
A special postmark or special communication date stamp is a postmark used when commemorative or special stamps are issued or when commemorative events are held nationwide. It is a postmark with a diameter of 36mm and is stamped with steeple-colored ink.
This one features the same design as the stamps. They range from those depicting flowers and famous paintings to those featuring Mickey and Doraemon!
The stamps are only used at a few post offices in Japan, and the period of use is very short, only one week from the date of issue, so many people have never seen them before.
How do I get it?
You can go to the post office that uses the postmark you want and ask for a landscape stamp (special stamp).
So, do I have to give up on landscape stamps from distant post offices or special stamps during busy periods?
No, you don’t have to. There is a way to request it by mail. Also, since a postmark is “proof that postage has been properly paid,” there are rules for having it stamped. I will explain in detail in another article.