The Visual Encyclopedia of Japanese Poster Art

This is the definitive encyclopedia of Japanese posters, tracing the history of posters in Japan with numerous color illustrations, mainly from the collection of the Hakodate Central Library, which boasts one of the best poster collections in Japan.

Advertising posters from overseas during the Meiji period (1868-1912) were immediately accepted in Japan and developed in their own unique way. With the development of printing technology, as seen in the posters of beautiful women in the prewar period, posters were produced on the level of works of art, and with the development of economic activity, posters developed as a representative advertising medium.

However, in recent years, the artistic value of posters and their significance as objects of social historical research have come under close scrutiny.