明治23年備中下原の石田徳三郎から前田吉彦宛の礼状

On January 1, 1890, Ishida Tokusaburo (石田徳三郎) of Shimobara, Bichu (present-day Okayama) sent a postal card to Maeda Yoshihiko (前田吉彦) and Udagawa Kingo (宇田川謹吾) in Kobe. The identities of Udagawa Kingo and the sender, Ishida Tokusaburo, remain unknown, though the card appears to express gratitude. Tokusaburo provided his return address as 川上郡 東成羽村 大字星原 (Ooza Hoshibara, Higashi Nariwason, Kawakami-gun).

Interestingly, there is a touch of yellow oil paint above the Kobe postmark. Maeda must have been working on a painting when he handled this postcard. 

明治23年伊勢の笹田雅之から前田吉彦宛の年賀状

Postmarked in Ise (Mie Prefecture) on January 3, 1890, this card was sent by Sasada Masayuki. The greeting card employs a similar printing process to the card below, utilizing purple ink. Four or five characters are written in black ink over the purple print, but we are unable to decipher them. It is unclear if these characters were meant to correct a part of the printed message or serve another purpose.

Interestingly, the printed side of this card is upside down; instead of ↑ ↑, it is ↑ ↓. Sending such a misprinted card might seem improper and disrespectful. Did the printer or Sasada notice the error? Regardless of their awareness, they wouldn't have discarded the cards, as each one was worth one sen. However, I am confident that the printer did not charge Sasada for the printing costs.

前田吉彦宛の明治23年広島の古田からの年賀状

We believe the sender of this stationery card, postmarked in Hiroshima on January 4, 1890, was  友田美喬 (Tomoda Yoshitaka), Army infantry officer. What makes this card particularly interesting is its backside, which features an unusual ink color commonly associated with mimeograph-printed materials. However, since mimeographs were not widely used until some years later, it is likely that a different printing method was employed in this case.

播磨三草の木本常次郎 (数学者)

This New Year's greeting card was sent to Maeda Yoshihiko by Kimoto Tsunejirō from Mikusa, Harima, on January 2, 1889. Information about Kimoto Tsunejirō is limited, with only a few mentions online, including his resignation from an unspecified institution and a reference to him in a scholarly work.

Itakura Nobunao (板倉信古, 1846–1912)

This New Year's greeting card is quite unusual, as it is addressed to six people, but two vertical lines nearly obliterate two of the names. Additionally, two more vertical lines are drawn to enclose and highlight Maeda Yoshihiko's name.

The card was sent from Takahashi, Bitchū Province (びっちゅう, Bitchū), postmarked December 31, 1891, and arrived the following day in Kobe. Interestingly, it is addressed to Number 7 instead of Maeda's usual Number 6, which I believe was an error by the sender.

Itakura Nobunao (板倉信古, 1846–1912): From Samurai to Civic Leader

Itakura Nobunao, also known as Nobufuru, was born in 1846 in Honchō, part of the Bitchū Matsuyama Domain (now Takahashi, Okayama). He was born into a mid-ranking samurai family with a stipend of 300 koku, a level that ensured both martial training and formal education.

Later in life, Nobunao was adopted into the Itakura clan, the ruling family of Bitchū Matsuyama. This type of adoption was common in elite circles and served to maintain family lines and influence. For Nobunao, it meant a major step up in status, tying him to the leadership of the domain during the late Tokugawa period.

Following the Meiji Restoration in 1868 and the abolition of the feudal system, Nobunao shifted to a role in public administration. He became mayor of Takahashi (formerly Bitchū Matsuyama), where he worked on infrastructure, education, and local economic reforms. His career path—from samurai to adopted heir to modern mayor—reflected the broader transitions underway in Japan during this period.

Nobunao died on January 7, 1912, at the age of 66. His life illustrates how individuals from the samurai class adapted to Japan’s modernization. Adoption allowed him to move from a 300-koku family to one that ruled over 50,000 koku, placing him in a position of leadership. As mayor, he helped guide Takahashi through its transformation from a former castle town into a modern municipality.

Nobunao’s story is a case study in how former samurai applied their training and sense of duty to new roles in a rapidly changing society. His legacy is one of continuity through change—maintaining traditional values while embracing new responsibilities in a modern nation.

前田吉彦はこのような小学生用の美術教教科書を書いていた

These grade school art textbooks, written by Maeda Yoshiko, are published by Yoshioka Heisuke (see post from October 31).

前田吉彦宛の藤井忠弘 (挿絵画家)

Postmarked on January 2, 1890, and May 28, 1890, in 武蔵東京本所 (Musashi Tokyo Honjo), these cards were sent by 藤井忠弘 (Fujii Tadahiro). He is believed to have been an artist, specializing in illustration and cartography, active during the Meiji era.

明治時代の教育者 飯田正宣から前田吉彦 洋画家宛のはがき

This postal card was sent on January 5, 1889 from Utsunomiya, Tochigi by Iida Masanobu. It has the usual preprinted New Year's message along with handwritten note, which we are not able to read. Iida Masanobu was involved in the establishment of teacher training institutions to ensure that educators were well-prepared to teach the new curriculum. His work in this area helped professionalize teaching and elevate the status of educators in Japan.

平瀬與一郎 (貝類研究家)から前田吉彦への年賀状 明治22年

 

These New Year's greeting card dated January 2, 1889, and January 1, 1890, postmarked in Kyoto, were sent to Maeda Yoshihiko by Hirase Yoichiro, a renowned malacologist. Hirase Yoichiro (1859～1925) was a groundbreaking Japanese shellfish researcher and naturalist.  Hirase made substantial contributions to the understanding of Japanese shellfish during the Meiji and Taisho periods. His research was entirely self-funded, which eventually led to financial and physical exhaustion, preventing him from fully realizing his dream of cataloging all Japanese shellfish. Despite these challenges, Hirase's work laid the foundational knowledge for future Japanese malacologists.

1890年 藤本安兵衛 米穀商より前田吉彦へのはがき

This postcard was sent by Fujimoto Yasubei, a rice dealer from Kobe, on May 24, 1890. He is mentioned in the publication Hyogo-ken Jinbutsu-hyo (兵庫県人物評), which was released between 1892 and 1896. This work lists and describes the prominent figures of Hyogo Prefecture (see photo).