The images below form an excerpt from my exhibit titled “Circular Datestamps at Japanese Offices in Korea (1876-1945),” which will be presented at NAPEX 2023 in McLean, Virginia on June 2-4, 2023.
The Shimonoseki-Fusan (abbreviated “Kan-Fu”; “Kan” (関) is another pronunciation of the letter “seki” in Shimonoseki) sea route was inaugurated on September 11, 1905, by Sanyo Steamship Co. and was subsequently nationalized in December 1906, along with the entire railway network, initially under the Japanese Ministry of Communications and later under the Ministry of Railways. Four types of cancellations were used over the years (see table), with Type 1 being the rarest. Types 2 and 3 are further divided into two sub-types, depending on whether dots or horizontal bars separate the year, month, and day. Ship P.O. Nos. 1 through 6 were established by the Ministry of Communications over the years.
