Description: This stamp is a 5-yen (5) definitive issue from the Post-War Empire of Japan (日本郵便). The horizontal composition showcases a pair of Mandarin ducks (Oshidori), traditionally regarded across East Asia as symbols of lifelong fidelity and marital harmony. The male drake dominates the lower-left foreground, meticulously detailed to emphasize its dramatic sails, sweep of facial plumage, and layered wing fans. Floating slightly behind and above in the upper-right quadrant is the more subtly patterned female duck. Both birds are rendered in a warm, reddish-brown ink layered over a soft, steel-blue wash simulating a rippling aquatic current. The classic country inscription "日本郵便" runs along the upper center margin, balanced across from the prominent value numeral "5" anchored in the lower right corner. A prominent, wavy black ink machine postmark scales vertically down the entire face of the paper.
Circa: 1955-1960s
Condition: Used - Hinged
Notes:
In Japanese culture, Oshidori are so deeply tied to the concept of deep attachment that the phrase oshidori fūfu is actively used to describe an exceptionally close, devotedly married couple.