1929 Japan British Royal Visit HMS Suffolk Emperor Hirohito Postcards 5 For Sale

DescriptionThis is an original set of five commemorative postcards issued in May 1929 to mark the official visit to Japan of Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester, a son of King George V.The original cover reads:“May 1929
Visit of the British Prince, the Duke of Gloucester,
for the Presentation of the Order of the Garter
Set of Five Postcards.”This was far more than an ordinary royal visit.One of the principal purposes of the Duke of Gloucester’s journey was to represent the British Crown in connection with the presentation of the Order of the Garter to Emperor Hirohito (Emperor Showa).The Order of the Garter, founded by King Edward III in 1348, is Britain’s oldest and most prestigious order of chivalry. Membership has historically been extremely limited, and its bestowal upon foreign sovereigns represented a particularly important relationship with the British Crown.Why did the Japanese Emperor receive such a distinguished British honor?The connection between Emperor Hirohito and the British Royal Family went back to his years as Crown Prince. In 1921, Hirohito visited Britain during his famous European tour and was warmly received by King George V. After Hirohito became Emperor, the Order of the Garter was formally presented in 1929.The postcards provide a remarkable visual record of that diplomatic occasion.One card depicts the British warship HMS Suffolk, which carried the Duke of Gloucester on his journey to Japan. Suffolk was a Royal Navy heavy cruiser, and the postcard combines an image of the ship with a portrait of the Duke.Other cards document scenes from the official reception, including:* Prince Chichibu welcoming the Duke of Gloucester
* The Duke disembarking from HMS Suffolk during the formal reception
* Japanese military and official personnel assembled to receive the British royal visitor
* British residents in Japan welcoming the Duke
* Children waving both Japanese and British flags during the visitThe scenes involving Prince Chichibu are particularly interesting. They make clear that this was not simply a tourist visit by a foreign prince, but an official encounter involving members of both the Japanese and British royal families.For naval collectors, the harbor reception is equally fascinating. Uniformed personnel, naval ceremony and a prominent Imperial Japanese Navy Rising Sun flag can be seen alongside the British warship.Perhaps the most striking photographs, however, are the scenes of ordinary people welcoming the Duke.Japanese children can be seen waving the Union Jack and Japanese national flag side by side, while British residents gathered to welcome their prince.Knowing what happened afterward gives these cheerful images an entirely different meaning.The Anglo-Japanese Alliance had already ended during the 1920s, but in 1929 Britain and Japan were not yet the enemies they would later become. Diplomatic and royal relations continued despite changing political interests and growing international tensions.Only twelve years after these photographs were taken, Britain and Japan would be at war in 1941.These postcards therefore preserve something that would soon disappear:a world in which Britain and Japan were still welcoming one another through royal diplomacy.The story of the Garter itself makes the set even more historically interesting.Emperor Hirohito’s position within the Order was affected by the outbreak of war between Britain and Japan, but decades later, following postwar reconciliation, his Garter membership was restored in 1971 during his state visit to Britain.Seen from that perspective, the events represented by these postcards form an early chapter in a much larger story—from friendship and royal diplomacy, through war, and eventually to reconciliation.Another important feature is the completeness of the set.All five postcards remain together with their original commemorative cover. Paper souvenirs of this kind were easily separated, mailed, damaged or discarded over the course of nearly a century, making a surviving complete group considerably more desirable than an individual postcard.This is an unusual crossover collectible connecting the British Royal Family, Japanese Imperial Family, Royal Navy, prewar Japan and Anglo-Japanese diplomatic history.Five small postcards, but together they preserve a remarkable moment just twelve years before the two nations went to war.Own a Piece of History.Shipping

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