Japan 1871 500 mon Dragon stamp, first issue

Japan · 1871 · 500 mon

This stamp is part of Japan's first-ever postage stamp series, known as the Dragon Stamps. The design features a stylized dragon, a powerful symbol in Japanese mythology, facing left within an ornate circular frame. The denomination of 500 mon is inscribed in Japanese characters at the top.

Issued during the Meiji Restoration, these stamps represent Japan's rapid modernization and the establishment of a national postal system, replacing the centuries-old courier system.