New Year's postcards with lottery prizes for Heisei 25 (2013) went on sale today, November 1, at post offices nationwide. Following 50-yen and 80-yen New Year's stamps on the 12th, "Zodiac Character Stamps" (10 designs) featuring next year's zodiac character in ten calligraphic styles—running script, cursive, and others—will be released on the 21st.
The Zodiac Character Stamps are works by ten masters of each style active at the Mainichi Calligraphy Exhibition, co-hosted by The Mainichi Newspapers, a tenant of Palaceside Building, and the Mainichi Calligraphy Association Foundation. Each master writes the coming year's zodiac character, one per stamp, for ten designs. They are released every New Year's season; this is the tenth year.
The stamps include "mi" (snake) in clerical script by Ōi Kinte, a leading figure who is executive director of the Mainichi Calligraphy Association, honorary member of the Mainichi Calligraphy Exhibition (Modern Poetry and Prose Division), and a leading disciple of Kinshi Ōtei, recipient of the Order of Culture＝top row, center; a small-seal "mi" carved by council member Seki Masato, said to be Japan's foremost seal engraver＝third row, right; kana "mi" by council member and promising female kana calligrapher Shimotani Yōko＝middle row, center; running-script "Mizunoto-mi" and "snake" by other masters＝top row, left; bottom row, center; cursive and regular-script "mi"＝bottom row, left; second row, right; clerical "ja" (snake)＝second row, left; "mi" inspired by Qing-dynasty epigraphic seals＝top row, right; and "mi" carved in bronze-script style＝bottom row, far right—among others.
Each stamp is 80 yen. A sheet holding all ten designs features the Nara clay bell "Fukuro-mi" (lucky-bag snake) in the background and sells for 800 yen. They will be available at the post office inside Palaceside Building and at post offices nationwide.