Travel Posters for Japanese Steamship Companies

From the book Miwaku no Funatabi, published by the Museum of Maritime Science, 1993.

Osaka Mercantile Steamship Co., Ltd., 1909
Osaka Mercantile Steamship Co., Ltd., 1909
Osaka Mercantile Steamship Co., Ltd., 1916
Osaka Mercantile Steamship Co., Ltd., 1916
Korean Mail Steamship Co., 1918
Korean Mail Steamship Co., 1918
Oriental Steamship Co., 1919 (Chinese poster)
Oriental Steamship Co., 1919 (Chinese poster)

View more travel posters at Pink Tentacle.

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7 replies on “Travel Posters for Japanese Steamship Companies”
  1. says: Danielle

    Thank you, thank you, thank you!!

    Studying these beautiful posters and the additional ones to which you linked, what strikes me, on reflection, is the absence of emphasis on the exotic and adventurous seen in European/American travel advertisements of the same period (the one exception seems targeted to English-speakers, not Japanese travellers). Several seem to say that sea voyages can be home-y, or as beautiful and comfortable as home. And don’t the posters of a bird holding a flag in its beak and the sumo wrestler spanning continents convey an image of Japanese travellers bringing themselves to the world, as proud ambassadors/promoters of their country, perhaps, rather than a goal to explore it?

    1. says: Evangeline

      You’re welcome!

      And I do agree with your assessment. I really like the poster featuring the family who are just who they are: a Japanese family enjoying a relaxing trip on an ocean liner, rather than being “exotic” set pieces.

  2. says: Raye

    Truly a lovely resource… 😀 It’s nice to find such a wealth of information… I’ve added link to your blog from mine… 😀

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