Japan: Hikifuda advertising poster depicting two samurai warriors struggling over a clan flag. It has been left blank so that the printer can add the text required by the purchaser in the column on the left hand side. Late Meiji (1868-1912) period

Hikifuda are advertising handbills that became popular in late 19th to early 20th century Japan. Showing the increasing sophistication of Japanese commerce, the handbills were produced to advertise a company or promote a product, and sometimes they were even used as wrapping paper.

While hikifuda began to be produced as woodblock prints in the late 17th century, they witnessed a boom in the later 19th century when they were cheaply printed using colour lithography.

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Supplier: CPA Media Co. Ltd.

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Pictures From History