JAPANESE ADVERTISEMENTS.

Inquire · Offered by Peter Harrington

An album of early 20th century matchbox labels. A collection of colourful and expressive advertisements for a wide range of businesses across Japan, from sweet shops to cafes, cigarette manufacturers, restaurants, and pharmacists. The majority are for businesses in Nagoya, in particular a branch of the famous confectionary chain Fujiya, the company that introduced the Christmas cake to Japan in the 1910s. "Western graphic mannerisms were harmoniously combined with traditional Japanese styles and geometries from the Meiji period (1868-1912), exemplified by both their simple and complex ornamental compositions. Since matches were a big export industry, and the Japanese dominated the markets in the United States, Australia, England, France, and even India, matchbox design exhibited a hybrid typography that wed Western and Japanese styles into an intricate mélange. The domestic brands, however, were routinely designed in a more reductive - though typically Japanese - manner solely using Kanji characters" (PRINT Magazine).

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