philatelist
Philately (; ) is the study of postage stamps and postal history. It also refers to the collection and appreciation of stamps and other philatelic products. Philately involves more than just stamp collecting or the study of postage; it is possi ...
who was known for his award-winning collections of the stamps and
postal history
Postal history is the study of postal systems and how they operate and, or, the study of the use of postage stamps and covers and associated postal artifacts illustrating historical episodes in the development of postal systems. The term is att ...
of the countries of Asia and his books on those subjects. His collection of Chinese stamps and postal history was exceeded in importance only by that of Sir Percival David.
Collecting
Mizuhara was one of the founders of the Japanese Philatelic Society in 1946 through which he sought to re-establish philately in Japan after the end of the Second World War and later he was instrumental in the creation of The Philatelic Museum in Mejiro, Tokyo.''Meiso Mizuhara The exhibition collections: The Chinese customs post''. Hong Kong: Spink. pp. 7-8.
His collection of Chinese stamps and postal history rivalled and in some areas exceeded that of Sir Percival David, whose collection, sold by
Robson Lowe
John Harry Robson Lowe (7 January 1905, London – 19 August 1997, Bournemouth) was an English professional philatelist, stamp dealer and stamp auctioneer.
Life and career
Lowe is regarded by philatelists as the father of postal history, ha ...
between 1964 and 1975, is thought to be the most important ever assembled. Mizuhara's collection included items once owned by David, including material that David acquired from
John A. Agnew
John A. Agnew, FBA (born Millom, England, August 29, 1949) is a prominent British- American political geographer. Agnew was educated at the Universities of Exeter and Liverpool in England and Ohio State in the United States.
Life and career
F ...
(died 1939).
Writing
Mizuhara wrote 15 books, mainly presenting his own collections for posterity. His last book, completed just before his death, was his account of Korean postal history from 1884 to 1905, originally published in Japanese in 1993. In the forward he explained that it was partly a response to the failure of the official Japanese Post Office book celebrating the 120th anniversary of the postal service in Japan to mention Korea, despite the great effect that the Japanese have had on the history of Korea."''Korean postal history, 1884 - 1905''". Review by C.G.B.W. in ''
The London Philatelist
''The London Philatelist'' was first published in January 1892 by
philatelic exhibitions. The English translation (1998) won a gold medal at Singpex 98, and a Large Vermeil medal at Italia 98."''Korean postal history, 1884 - 1905''". D.J.S., ''The London Philatelist'', Vol. 108, No. 1263 (March 1999), p. 72.
Death and legacy
Mizuhara died in November 1993. His collection was auctioned by
Spink & Son
Spink & Son (established 1666) are an auction and collectibles company known principally for their sales of coins, banknotes, stock and bond certificates and medals. They also deal in philatelic items, wine and spirits, and other collectible ...
in a series of sales structured around his original exhibition write-ups and described as "Exhibition collections":
*German post offices in China, November 2001.
*Tibet, October 2002.
*United States post offices in China, December 2003.
*Mongolia, January 2011.
*Korean postal history, 1884–1905, January 2013.
*Chinese customs post, January 2016.
Selected publications
*''Catalog of the Chinese liberation area stamps 1930-49''. Japan Philatelic Society, Tokyo, 1988.
*''Korean postal history, 1884-1905''. Japan Philatelic Society Foundation, Tokyo, 1993. (Japanese language)
*''Korean postal history, 1884-1905''. Japan Philatelic Publications, Tokyo, 1998. (English language)