The Meiji cancellations first appeard in 1892, Meiji 25, and were in use till 1894. In the ISJP supplement by George A. Fisher, Jr. to the monograph "The Roman Postmarks of Japan" by John Gordon Bishop, on which some part of my Koban collection is based, an Osaka Meiji cancellation with small lettering is reported from 1891. 3. 28.

The size of the outer diameter is 28 mm and the inner circle is between 16 and 17 mm. Cancels in black, black-brown and brown are known. Meiji cancels were used in Yokohama, Kobe, Nagasaki, Tokio, Hakodate, Kioto (Kiyoto), Osaka and Niigata. They further were applied in Chinese and Korean overseas postoffices: Shanghai, Tientsin, Chefoo (Cheefoo), Ninsen, Gensan and Fusan.
 

10yo1: Registered Cover with 5 off 2 Sen and 4 off 5 Sen UPU Koban stamps, from Yokohama to Dresden in Germany  Yokohama Meiji with Serifs: 2 VII 1892 Dresden arrival mark: 3. 8. 1892 (on back)

 

10yo2: Foreign Mail Postcard 3 Sen, 1892 issue on thick paper, FC9, from Yokohama to Dresden, Germany  Yokohama Meiji without Serifs: 25 VII 1894

 

10ko1: Foreign Mail Postcard 2 Sen, FC8, from Kobe to Hong Kong  Kobe Meiji: 23 I 1894 Hong Kong arrival mark: Jan 30 94

 

10ko2: International Postal Money Order Receipt from Kobe Kobe Meiji: IX 2 1898 (Nov. 2, 1898) The German expert on Japanese stamps, Mr. Eichhorn, informed me, that the Kobe Meiji was replaced for normal postal usage around October 1894. Yet this handstamp was still in use in November 1898, but only for international money orders. Does anybody have more information on this? For instance, is this late usage of Meiji cancels known from other Japanese post offices too? Mr. Eichhorn informed me in 2004 that this late usage is indeed known from another location - Hakodate and Kobe.

 

10na1: Registered cover with 2 off 5 Sen and 5 off 2 Sen UPU Koban stamps from Nagasaki via Yokohama to Sonneberg in Germany.  Nagasaki Meiji with serifs: 27. II. 1893 Yokohama Meiji with serifs: 1. III. 1893 Red registration mark, probably from London Arrival mark Sonneberg (on back): 5. 4. 93

 

10to1: Cover with 10 Sen new Koban from Tokio to Dresden, Germany  Tokio Meiji with small lettering: 18 V 1892 Yokohama Meiji: 18 V 1892 Dresden receiver mark: 18. 8. 1892

 

10to2: Foreign Mail Postcard 2 Sen, FC8, from Tokyo to Cambridge, Ma.  Maruichi Tokyo, Mita in brown Tokio Meiji with large lettering in brown: 9 III 1894 Yokohama Meiji: 10 III 1894 Tacoma: March 27, 94 Boston, Ma: April 2, 94 Paid All Cambridge STA: April 2 95

 

10ha2: 2 Sen UPU Koban stamp on piece  Hakodate Meiji without serifs: 5 VII 1893

 

10ki1: Foreign Mail Postcard 3 Sen, FC9, from Kyoto via Yokohama to Berlin, Germany  Maruichi Kyoto in brown Kioto Meiji: 8 I 1893 Yokohama Meiji: 14 I 1893 Receiver: 8. 2. 93 Red Handstamp: for Yokohama (Yokohama yuki)

 

10ki2:: Cover with a 5 Sen UPU and a 5 Sen Silver Wedding of Emperor Meiji commemorative stamp, from Kyoto to London.  Kioto Meiji: 22 III 1894, a late usage Yokohama Meiji: 23 III 1894 Arrival mark London: 23 AP 94 Red handstamp: for Yokohama

 

10os1: Foreign Mail Postcard 3 Sen, FC9, from Osaka to Port of Spain, Trinidad  Osaka Meiji with small lettering: 16 III 1892 Tacoma: 28 Mar 1892 New York Foreign Transit: Apr 7 92 Trinidad: AP 28 92

 

10os2: Cover with 5 Sen UPU Koban stamp from Osaka to New York. Osaka Meiji with large  lettering: 20 VI 1893 Yokohama Meiji: 6 VII 1893 on back San Francisco Paid All: JUL 25 1893 Arrival mark New York: Jul 31

 

10sh1: Letter with 5 Sen UPU Koban, written in Chungking, Sze-Chuan, China on Jan. 5 1893 from a son to his father at Queen's University in Kingston, Canada  Shanghai I.J.P.O Meiji with small lettering: 10 II 1893 Yokohama Meiji: 16 II 1893 San Francisco Paid All: March 4 Receiver Kingston can only be seen partially

 

10sh2: Cover with 2 Sen UPU and 3 Sen new Koban stamps from Shanghai to Vermont, USA. Shanghai I.J.P.O Meiji with large letters: 12 V 1894 Yokohama Meiji: 17 V 1894 on back San Francisco Paid All: JUN 4 1894 on back Receiver mark Proctorsville JUN 9 1894 on back

 

10ti1:  2 Sen stamped envelope SE16 (1888 issue) from Tientsin to Bremen. A 2 Sen Silver Wedding commemorative stamp was added for the correct 4 Sen postage required. Tientsin I.J.P.O. Meiji with small lettering: 5 V 1894

10ch1: Foreign Mail Postcard 2 Sen, FC8, from Kioto via Kobe to Chefoo Kioto Meiji: 3 XI 1894 Kobe Meiji: 4 XI 1894 Handstamp in red: for Kobe Chefoo I.J.P.O. Meiji with one "E": 12. 1. 1894

10nin1: Foreign Mail Postcard 3 Sen, FC5, from Ninsen through Kobe to Dresden in Germany. Ninsen I.J.P.O. Meiji with small lettering: 7 IX 1892 Kobe Meiji: 25 IX 1892 Dresden-Altstadt arrival mark: 7. 11. 92

10nin2: Sen UPU Koban  Ninsen I.J.P.O Meiji with large letters in brown: 14 VII 18xx

10nin3: Cover with a strip of 4 5 Sen UPU Koban stamps, registered from Seoul via Ninsen, Kobe, Yokohama, San Francisco and New York to St. Petersburg in Russia. What a routing!  Red "R" Seoul registration mark No. 851 Ninsen I.J.P.O Meiji with large lettering in black: 17 V 1894 Kobe Meiji: 21. V. 1894 Yokohama Meiji: 24. V 1894 Registered San Francisco: June 6 1894 New York Reg'yDiv. 6-12-1894 Arr.ival marking St. Petersburg 12-VI-94

I was puzzled by the Seoul registration mark yet without any Seoul cancellation. With the help of some reference books and friends the reason was found: there was a branch of the Japanese Ninsen post office in Seoul within the Embassy compound but this office did not have their own handstamps. The first known Romal Letter Seoul cancellation, a Medium Single Circle Type, is from Dec. 1894 (Bishop). The oldest known Japanese Maruichi from Seoul - Chosun Keijo - is from Nov. 3, 1894. Therefore, until late 1894 at least, all mail collected at the Soul branch post office was carried to the Ninsen I.J.P.O. office where the mail was cancelled.

10nin4: Foreign Mail Postcard 3 Sen, FC5, from Ninsen through Kobe and Yokohama Ninsen I.J.P.O Meiji with large lettering in black: VIII 11 1893 Kobe Meiji: 16 VIII 1893 Yokohama Meiji: 17 VIII 1893 Please note the difference in this cancellation to the previous two - the month/day instead of day/month sequence.

10ge2: 2 Sen UPU Koban Gensan I.J.P.O. Meiji: 11 4 1894

10fu2: Foreign mail postcard FC4 from Fusan to Gensan and on to Vladivostok in Russia Fusan I.J.P. & T.O Meiji in brown: 17. VII. 1894 Gensan Maruichi 27 7 18 Remark: the use of this 2 Sen postcard for the routing from Fusan to Vladivostok is rare.