The postcards in this gallery are from Dai 21-kai Han no Kai Sakuhin-shu (the Works of the 21st Han Association), a 1955 album of 51 New Year’s self-printed postcards by members of the Han Association postcard exchange. This was the second to last year for the Han association’s existance and postcard exchange. The associations’s membership included such noted sosaku hanga (creative prints movement) artists as Onchi Koshiro, Kawakami Sumio, Takei Takeo, Sekino Jun’ichiro, and Maekawa Senpan. Takei Takeo was the director of the association from 1935 to 1954; Sekino Jun'ichiro succeeded him in this role from 1955 to 1956. As this was an inclusive post-card exchange, only 51 cards would have been printed by each artist and mailed out to other members of the club. This collection belonged to Kanamori Yoshio who joined the Han no Kai in 1954 and contributed New Year's cards for albums #21 and #22.

Many of the postcards were produced by woodblock, although other techniques were also employed including wood engraving, etching. and lithography, Those that appear to be woodblock are presented first, followed by cards produced using other methods. Thirty-five of the cards were received by mail before being inserted in the album.

Additional Postcards

The following postcards from the exchange were not printed using the woodblock technique. They are included here to be comprehensive.