Japan, Year of the Rabbit, 1951
I came across this charming stamp a few years ago at a stamp show and just adore it. Though it celebrates the Year of the Rabbit, it reminds me of spring and Easter as well, so I thought it might be a nice time to share it with you.
I found one reference crediting this stamp’s design to Saburo Watanabe. I’m wondering if this is the same illustrator of the 1967 Japanese children’s book The Rolling Rice Ball, soon to be reprinted by Kaisei-Sha. I will be investigating this further, as I’m always fascinated by the connection between stamp design and children’s illustration.
