Japan, 1875 (45 sen, eagle)
An eagle with spread wings on a rock, inside a ring of characters.
Illustration of a historical stamp for learning, shown at screen size. Not valid for postage.
How to read it
Kanji around the edge and 45 SEN: Japan.
- 1郵便切手: postage stamp
- 245 SEN
- 3四十五錢: 45 sen
- Inscription
- 郵便切手 · 45 SEN · 四十五錢 · 大日本
- Meaning
- 郵便切手 means postage stamp and 四十五錢 forty-five sen; the value is also written 45 SEN. No country name in Latin letters.
- Issued by
- Japan
- Today
- Japan Flag of Japan
- Year
- 1875. Issued 1875.
- Made by
- Japanese government Paper Money Bureau (紙幣寮) (organization)
One fact
Japan’s 1875 “bird” stamps were designed, engraved and printed by the government’s Paper Money Bureau; the 45 sen shows an eagle.
Source and public-domain rule
Japan, published under the name of an organisation more than 70 years ago. Published in 1875 under the name of Japan’s government postal service or Ministry of Communications; a work published under an organisation’s name is protected for 70 years from publication. A work published under the name of a legal person or organisation, such as Japan’s Ministry of Communications, is protected until 70 years after publication (50 years before the 2018 amendment). Legal sources: Copyright Law of Japan (CRIC translation), Arts. 52–53.
Scan: 1875japan45sen.jpg on Wikimedia Commons (revision 948187513), licence templates {{PD-Japan-organization}}, {{PD-1923}}. Downloaded 2026-10-22, sha256 2843567a4014…; cropped and cleaned for this site. Facts checked 2026-10-22 against source 1 and source 2. Research record, not legal advice; a second check of these rights by a person is planned, and a stamp that turns out not to be free to use will be removed. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
