The Yuraku

The Yuraku was a Japanese philatelic magazine associated with The Yurakukai, the Philatelic Society of Japan. It is identified as the first philatelic magazine published in Japan, placing it among the country's earliest specialist periodicals devoted to postage stamps and stamp collecting. The inaugural issue appeared in Tokyo on 16 July 1914 under the editorship of Meguro Kimura. Rather than functioning primarily as a commercial consumer brand, Yuraku served as the publication of a collecting society and provided a formal medium for Japanese philatelic discussion, information exchange, and community identity. Its launch reflected the growth of organized stamp collecting and specialist print culture in Japan during the early twentieth century. By issuing a dedicated journal, The Yurakukai could communicate with members and readers interested in postage stamps, postal history, collecting practices, and related aspects of philately. The available historical record does not provide a detailed account of its editorial policies, circulation, financing, frequency, or distribution network, so those aspects should not be inferred. Yuraku remained in publication for at least nine volumes, with the ninth volume extending to 1922. The surviving reference record does not establish a precise end date, whether the title was renamed or absorbed into another publication, or the circumstances of its later discontinuation. Its documented run nevertheless gives it an important place in the history of Japanese specialist publishing and organized philately. The title is best understood as a historical periodical brand rather than an active contemporary magazine or a broad corporate enterprise.

The Yuraku emerged in the context of the early development of organized philately in Japan. Stamp collecting had become an established international hobby by the beginning of the twentieth century, and specialist societies increasingly used periodicals to share knowledge, support members, and create a common language for collectors. In Japan, The Yurakukai, also known as the Philatelic Society of Japan, provided the institutional setting for such a publication. The first issue of Yuraku was published in Tokyo on 16 July 1914. The inaugural edition was edited by Meguro Kimura. Its appearance is significant because the title is described as the first philatelic magazine published in Japan. As the organ of The Yurakukai, the magazine was connected directly to an organized collecting society rather than being documented as an independent general-interest publisher. Its likely role was to support philatelic communication, although the available reference material does not specify its exact editorial sections, contributors, print run, or publication schedule. The journal continued across multiple volumes. The known record reaches at least Volume 9, which ran through 1922. This confirms that the publication was sustained for a substantial period after its 1914 launch, but the available sources do not establish whether Volume 9 was the final volume. They also do not document a later successor title, a formal closure, or a transfer of ownership. Consequently, Yuraku's current status is best recorded as unknown rather than definitively defunct. Historically, the title represents an important stage in the institutionalization of philately in Japan. It combined a specialist subject, a society-based audience, and periodical publishing at a time when collecting communities depended heavily on printed journals for education and exchange. Its surviving bibliographic footprint also makes it relevant to the history of Japanese magazines and the development of hobby publishing. Beyond its documented founding date, editorial association, and volume history, reliable public information about its business arrangements and readership remains limited.

1. 1922Ninth volume documented

   The available historical record shows the journal continuing through at least Volume 9, which extended to 1922.

   Source
2. 1914First issue published

   The first issue of The Yuraku was issued in Tokyo on 16 July 1914 under the editorship of Meguro Kimura.

   Source

A specialist society journal focused on philately and stamp collecting in Japan.

• The YurakuPhilatelic magazine1914

  The Yuraku was a specialist Japanese periodical devoted to philately and associated with The Yurakukai, the Philatelic Society of Japan. First issued in Tokyo in 1914, it is identified as Japan's first philatelic magazine. The surviving record documents at least nine volumes, with Volume 9 extending to 1922. Detailed information about its contents, publication frequency, circulation, and final issue is not available in the supplied sources.

1. Yuraku