Source: 百瀬ガンジィ Gandhi Momose (@abaraharawata) - image used with permission

Japanese illustrator leaves his creative stamp and a good dose of UFO humor on an envelope

With the spread of smartphones and computers, there are fewer opportunities to send letters to friends and family members.

However, sometimes we like to send hand-written messages the good old-fashioned way to our loved ones for birthdays, weddings and other special occasions.

For those who want to go the extra mile or those who truly enjoy letter-writing on a regular basis, stamps can be more than a practical necessity. They can figure into the entire design of the letter which comprises everything from the choice of letter paper, writing instrument, ink, envelope, stamps, stickers, labels, and even monogrammed wax seals if you're getting fancy.

Take a look at this arrangement of stamps, including an original one made by illustrator 百瀬ガンジィ Gandhi Momose (@abaraharawata).

You can be sure that it made the recipient smile!

Reproduced with permission from 百瀬ガンジィ Gandhi Momose (@abaraharawata)

"I've made a lot of things this year, but the one I'm most excited about might be "Hisoka Maejima's cattle mutilation* made with UFO stamps". I also like the way the Japanese serow next to him looks like he's being pulled upwards."

* In a common mistranslation, the term キャトルミューティレーション, literally "cattle mutilation," is often confused with "alien abduction" in Japanese.
Baron Maejima Hisoka 前島密 (1835-1919) was a Meiji-era statesman, politician, and businessman who founded the Japanese postal service.

The three stamps below are arranged so it looks like the Baron, a Japanese serow and a Japanese macaque mother and baby are being abducted by the UFO!

Of course, the original stamp is the one at the top!

Japan Post Co., Ltd. offers a service whereby you can create original stamps with your own design, so anyone can easily create their own stamps.

Momose designed an envelope to match the design of his UFO stamp, and arranged the other stamps below it accordingly.

Incidentally, his UFO stamp were created for a project in "Omocoro Bros!"

Momose's creativity and humor elicited numerous comments on Twitter:

  • "This is a unique and interesting letter and there's surely only one like it in the whole world. It's a great idea!"
  • "Such good taste! I'm impressed."
  • "It's funny that the Japanese macaque on the 5 yen stamp looks like she's protecting her baby!"

Depending on what services are available to you in your country, you may not be able to make your own original stamp the way Momose did, but you can still come up with a creative arrangement of stamps to create a cool effect! Why not give it a try the next time you send a special letter.

Since printing images of stamps is prohibited according to Japan's Act on Control of Imitation, etc. of Postal Stamps, etc., printing out this article with its images is a crime in Japan.

By - grape Japan editorial staff.

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