Korea Kamigata

Kamigataya shop with postal box display

Korea’s First Issues and the Kamigata Forgeries

Aside from Wada, the next most prolific Japan producer of forgeries of the early series of Japanese postage stamps was the firm of Kamigataya. 

Consequently, up until recently, Kamigata has been identified as the producer of these forgeries in western literature.

There is no real evidence that a person named Kamigata even existed.

Kamigataya forgeries were actually made by Maeda Kihei, and Kamigataya was the publisher of Maeda's forgeries.

This new information has been primarily sourced from the inscriptions on the Kamigataya tourist sheets which are relatively rare.

It is noted that the first Maeda Korea tourist sheets contained genuine stamps but as the demand increased and genuine stocks depleted, facsimiles were added until finally all the stamps were forgeries.

It should be noted that Maeda/Kamigata produced forgeries from some other countries as well as the ones from Korea explored in this article.

Many forgeries from Kamigataya were attributed to Spiro, Mercier or Oneglia and merely sold by Kamigata but an obscure Japanese publication in 1954 the Kitte no Ie (House of Stamps) confirmed that Kamigataya was the originator of some 20 different country forgeries.

To date, at least 50 non Asian forgeries have been identified as being produced by Kamigataya

The 5 & 10 Mon were printed in sheets of 80 (8X10)
Printed by: Stamp Bureau, Japanese Finance Dept., Tokyo.
Designed and Engraved by: Saito Chuzo. 

Original designs by Hong Yong Sik, planned by a Mr. Hutchinson in Shanghai. 

Then revised in Japan, reportedly by one JeDeimg Chi.
Typographed on white, wove un-watermarked paper with a thick white or yellowish gum..
Size: 23 x 26 mm
Number printed:
5 Mon 490,000
10 Mon 995,000
25 Mon 497,500 - color variations are common but are changelings not printing varieties
50 Mon 498,000
100 Mon 299,000 The 100 Mon is listed a being blue and pink with a rare color error of only blue. 

It is noted that only the 5 & 10 Mon were used due to political events and that the first delivery in Seoul took place Dec. 4 1884 but ended 3 days later when riots broke out and the post office and the majority of stamp stocks were destroyed. 

Some authors point out that the stamps were only used on Dec 4. From that point on until 1895, mail was handled by the Japanese and Korean Customs Office.
In any event, genuine postally used 5 & 10 Mon are extremely rare and only a few with genuine cancels are known. It is thought that some that escaped being destroyed in the riots were stolen and made into fake covers.
The diagrams on the left show the genuine cancels used. 

Genuine Stamps

5 Mon perf 9 & 11.5. The 11.5 may be a Reprint

10 & 25 Mon

50 & 100 Mon

Forgeries

NOTE - there are many more forgeries than just the "Kamigataya" but these are the most common. There is also a rare Bogus 2 Mon .

The 2 main types of Kamigataya cancels are the 5 ring type and a double ring with the word IMITATION inside

5 Mon 

Left Type I 

The white center is too small and red side too large

The top of the 5 is too short

The top letters in the side circles are too large

All the ornaments are different

Right Type II 

A long slash besides right bottom M

The corner ornaments are different

The rolled ends of the side containers are incomplete

Left Type III 

5 short & thick and small extension on top left

The rolled ends of the side containers are incomplete

The center circles are uneven

Right Type IV very good forgery

5 top slopes up

Top corner letters are smaller

10Mon

Left Type I very crude

The 1 of the 10 is too long

Symbols in the ring do not match

Many broken frame lines and no clear outer frame

Right Type II very crude

Very tall 1

Letters are uneven and distorted

Odd ring symbols

Very thick outer border

Left Type III

The C almost closed

The man shaped symbol bottom right is attached to the frame 

Odd symbols in the ring

Right Type IV

Coarse lines inside the inner circle

The R of COREAN is higher

Oblique line below the bottom N is short & thick

25 Mon

Left Type I very crude

Very thick corner letters

Thin symbols in the ring

Thick outer border

Lack of white shading

Right Type IV 

COREAN spelled OOREAN

Overall a good forgery

Too much orange shading

Outer border attached to inner border in several places

50 Mon

Left Type I - very crude

Small N looks like a M

Yin-Yang symbol very crude

COREAN looks like COFEAN and all letters distorted

Top corner symbols are too large

Right Type II

Corner symbols and numerals are very thick

Yin Yang uneven

Small N is a M

Bottom letters are thin & uneven

Left Type III

Outer border is not separated from the inner one

Corner circles are smaller

Top & bottom letters are uneven and thinner

Side symbols are smaller

Right Type IV - the best of the series

Side letters are thinner as are the top & bottom letters

The background elements are lacking

The corner symbols and numerals are thicker

100 Mon

Left Type I - very crude

Yin yang very distorted 

Letters in circle do not match

Bottom letters are tall & distorted

Tall thin 100

Right Type II

Similar to Type I in the bottom section

The symbols in the ring have been improved but still different

The yin yang is too large and distoreted

Left Type III - fair forgery

The center of the yin yang has a left color spot

The word COREAN reds COAEN and letters are very thin

Bottom symbols in the ring are large and thick

The 100 has tall 0

Background elements are different

Right Type IV - fair forgery

100 is thin

Lower letters are thin

Outer and inner frame merge in many places

Above Type V - very good forgery

Bottom letters are uneven

The right top and left bottom of the N in MN are uneven

The 5 ring cancel is key