Lot 20339 – Japanese postcard used to send Easter greetings to

Japanese postcard used to send Easter greetings to Kovno (now Kaunas in Lithuania) by Russian prisoner, dateline “16/III 1905 Sidzuoka” (=Shizuoaka). Native cancellation of SURUGA SHIZUOKA applied in black. Saw-tooth horizontal framed Japanese cachet POSTCARD FOR RUSSIAN PRISONERS and similar oval GREATER JAPAN/CENSORED/SHIZUOKA PRISONER-OF-WAR CAMP, 3 line SERVICE DES PRISONNIERS DE GUERRE and vertical Japanese DATE OF DISPATCH MEIJI 38 3 31 (=31 March 1905), all in violet. Transit Tokio 1 April 05, Kovno arrival 23 IV 05 (=6 May 05 New Style). Shizuoka was one of the smaller camps for Russian prisoners held in Japan during the Russo-Japanese War, holding a total of 319 men, including 14 colonels. It was open from 14 December 1904 until 18 January 1905.