This group of 68 little prints is quite a rare item. Back in the pre-war period, prints like this were produced in very large quantities, but very few are now found 'loose' like this.

They were made for use in the preparation of greeting cards (in the western style). A folded piece of strong paper would be imprinted on an inner surface with a greeting message: "Merry Xmas and Happy New Year", etc., a small woodblock print would be pasted on the front, and the card would be sold in a package together with an envelope.

Most of the prints in this particular group carry a (carved and printed) name seal reading 弘明 (Hiroaki), commonly used by the designer Takahashi Shōtei (1871–1945). Marc Kahn, on his Shotei.com website, attributes these to the Shobido Tanaka Company.

[Viewing note: the images are contained in the 'Additional Images' tab on this page. After clicking/tapping one to bring it up, you can move to the previous/next by clicking/tapping at the left/right edge of the image. The resolution is very high, and 'spreading' the image will allow an extremely close view of each print ...]