Vintage Japanese Advertising Matchboxes | Showa Retro Graphic Design

Once commonly given away as complimentary advertisements by cafés, restaurants, bars, and local businesses, matchboxes were a familiar part of everyday life in Japan. Their small surfaces often featured surprisingly creative illustrations, lettering, and local advertising.

Display it on a shelf, frame it as miniature graphic artwork, or add it to a collection of Japanese ephemera and retro design.

These vintage Japanese matchboxes are sold individually. Please select your preferred design from the available options.

• Coffee Shop Kenya
  A charming kissaten-style design featuring an illustration of a cup of coffee. The warm colour palette, playful lettering, and distinctly retro typography capture the atmosphere of a neighbourhood Japanese coffee shop during the Showa era.
  
  
• Yakumo (Vessels Design)
  Decorated with a collection of vessels in various shapes, this design has an expressive, handcrafted quality. Both the illustrations and lettering resemble a small piece of woodblock or print art. The original business has not been confirmed, but it may have been associated with tableware, ceramics, or a restaurant.
  
  
• Uni (Sun Face Design) 
  A wonderfully unusual advertising design featuring a sun with a human-like face. This matchbox was produced for a consumer finance company and appears somewhat newer than the other designs. A map printed on the reverse uses the word Kokuden, the former name commonly used for urban trains operated by Japanese National Railways, suggesting that it dates from the late Showa period, likely before or around 1987.

PLEASE NOTE

This listing is for one empty vintage matchbox only. Matches are not included due to shipping regulations.

Please select your preferred design. Each matchbox is sold separately, not as a set.