This card is a bit special in a number of ways. It shows the Zuigan-ji temple, designated a national treasure, in Matsushima. It was originally founded in 828 but rebuilt by Date Masamunein 1609. There are some beautiful photos on Japan-Photo-Archiv.
It was sent to me from Tokyo on 25 January 2010, as a swap. I had sent a card that didn't arrive and replaced it. This was to say thank you, and a wonderful thank you it is. It has some lovely stamps too. The temple stamp in red ink appears on the top right corner.
It is clearly a very old card. Dating early Japanese cards can be helped by the back of the card. Divided backs were not allowed until 1907 when one-third of the card was allowed for a message. From 1918, the dividing line was moved to the middle of the card. In this case, the line is somewhere between one-third and halfway. Answers on a postcard ....
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I love old temples. This one is lovely. Is it really as old as you stated?
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