Three Bizen Okayama Postmarked Cards 1889 and 1890

All three of these postal cards bear the postmark of 備前岡山 (Bizen, Okayama) and are dated October 7, 1889, January 1, 1890, and August 1, 1890. Among the senders, one name stands out clearly thanks to a distinct square red ink stamp, which we believe reads 松原全五郎 (Matsubara Zengorō). Unfortunately, despite this clear identification, no historical records have been found to shed light on who Matsubara Zengorō was or his connection to the recipient.

Another sender’s name appears to be 足立一 (Adachi Hajime), though this interpretation is less certain due to the handwriting. Like Matsubara, Adachi’s identity remains a mystery, and no additional information about him has been uncovered. All the senders are from Okayama-shi, suggesting a possible local network of correspondents or a shared community tied to Maeda Yoshihiko of Takahashi, Okayama.