Gorgeous, Handmade Pre-War Vintage Japanese Beer Advertising Posters

Gorgeous, Handmade Pre-War Japanese Beer Posters Feature Lovely Vintage Images 

Recently a treasure trove of unearthed vintage advertising posters of gorgeous pre-war Japanese beer is discovered. In order to catch the eye of the audience Japanese beer companies had to use colorful posters. The posters are drawn, painted, and lettered by hand. The craftmanship took hours and the skill level was very high. While beer companies like Asahi, Kirin, and Sapporo are not known for their richly flavored malted products during that era, they are recognized for their richly evocative imagery used on their posters and postcards. If you spend enough time studying these posters carefully, you will realize that these brands often have the same girls featured on their posters, donning a different outfit.

Japanese Advertising History: Advertising is a window into society and people

Vintage advertising posters can be found at the Ad Museum Tokyo. Here the museum provides a good overview of the Showa Period 1926-1945 https://www.admt.jp/en/ A robust market now exists for these antique pieces of advertising and their suitable-for-framing reproductions.

Showa Period in Advertising 1926-1945

From the early days of Showa to the end of the war 1926〜1945 Continuing from the Taisho period, the early Showa period was referred to as “Showa Modern.” Advertising expression became more international and polished. As European and American cultural influences pervaded Japan, Japanese advertising became more refined, shifting toward tones of internationalism and modernism. At around this time the urban residents began enjoying the new customs and lifestyles that were introduced as people absorbed Western culture. Advertising communicated this change to a more enjoyable urban culture. This enjoyment drastically changed with the approach of war. Japanese advertising entered its “time of winter” as advertisements for regular products were swiftly replaced by promotions designed to boost national morale.

Pua shell Necklace by Nancy Tranter
Handmade Pre-War Vintage Japanese Beer Advertising Posters girl with purple dress and fan sitting
Handmade Pre-War Vintage Japanese Beer Advertising Posters girl kneeling black kimono
Handmade Pre-War Vintage Japanese Beer Advertising Posters girl standing multi color kimono asahi beer

Source: Ad Museum Tokyo, Boing Boing, Colin Marshall, Melissa Goh #japanese #BeerPosters #vintageadvertising #handpainted #vintageadvertisingposters #handmade #showaperiod