Item Story & Historical Context
In 1936 (Showa Year 11), legendary German director and pioneer of mountain films Dr. Arnold Fanck arrived in Japan to direct the historic, high-budget international co-production The Daughter of the Samurai (Die Tochter des Samurai / Atarashiki Tsuchi), starring a young Setsuko Hara. The production involved daring, sub-zero winter cinematography on location across the rugged snowfields of Mount Zao in Yamagata Prefecture.
To provide a refreshing visual contrast during the sweltering heat of midsummer, the production created this special Summer Greeting Postcard (Shochu-mimae), printed with a real photograph of solitary skiers carving tracks down the vast snow-covered slopes of Mount Zao. The margin carries the official production caption: “Yamagata Prefecture Mount Zao Location — Fanck Film Production / Midsummer, Showa 11 (1936).”
The reverse presents an astonishing, tangible connection to the inner circle of pre-war cinema history. Pre-printed with the studio header “J.O. Studio Co., Ltd., Uzumasa, Kyoto”—the pioneering sound-film studio founded in 1933 that merged to become Toho Co., Ltd.—the card was personally addressed and mailed by Shosuke Shimizu, a pioneering sound recordist and audio technician of the early talkie era. Shimizu worked alongside legendary special effects pioneer Eiji Tsuburaya (cinematography) and composer Nobuo Iida on milestone early Toho productions.
Dispatched directly from J.O. Studio to a recipient in central Kyoto, the card bears a blue 1.5-sen definitive stamp cancelled with an authentic wavy machine postmark and circular date cancel.
An extraordinary, museum-grade primary source uniting pioneering alpine filmmaking, the birth of Toho, and documented creative personnel behind early cinema history.
Condition & Details
- Type: Pre-War Cinema Production Real-Photo Summer Greeting Postcard / Film Industry Correspondence
- Origin/Context: Dispatched by Sound Recordist Shosuke Shimizu at J.O. Film Studio (Uzumasa, Kyoto / Direct Precursor to Toho) & Arnold Fanck Film Production (Mount Zao), Summer 1936 (Showa 11)
- Markings:
- Front: Production credits: “Yamagata Prefecture Mount Zao Location / Fanck Film Production / Midsummer, Showa 11.”
- Reverse: Pre-printed studio credit “J.O. Studio Co., Ltd., Uzumasa, Ukyo Ward, Kyoto”; sender imprint “Shosuke Shimizu”; handwritten ink address; blue 1.5-sen definitive stamp tied by wavy machine cancellation and circular date cancel.
- Condition: Excellent vintage condition. Light diagonal handling crease on the cardstock consistent with postal transit, rich silver-gray photographic contrast, and stark, deeply inked fountain-pen calligraphy.
- Includes: Comes carefully packed in a protective archival sleeve with rigid backing to ensure safe transit.
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- Shipping Notice: To ensure maximum care, archival safety, and accurate weight-based insurance for each distinct historical artifact, all items are packaged and shipped individually (no combined shipping available).