Osaka Jinjō Chūgakkō 1889

This is a New Year’s greetings card postmarked on January 1, 1889, in Settsu, Osaka (摂津大坂). The return address is listed as Osaka Jinjō Chūgakkō (大阪尋常中学校), or Osaka Ordinary Middle School, an educational institution established during the Meiji period in Japan.

The card includes two sender names, but their exact readings are unclear. Our best guesses are 水空玄女 (Suikū Genjo) and 幸国亭一 (Kōkoku Teiichi), though they could also be 来田 (Kita) and 水宝 (Mizuho), or something entirely different. Given the return address and the context, it is likely that the senders were educators or otherwise connected to the school, and they may have known Maeda Yoshihiko through educational or professional links.