Index · Edition · jp-stamp-art-2022
Animals
Animals, Flowers & Scenery
Japan Post's first NFT edition and pilot of the short-lived NFT stamp art programme on the Rakuten NFT platform from 3 October 2022. Three packs (Animals, Flowers, Scenery) with a total of 300 sets (100 per pack) and 14 different NFT designs, based on real Japanese stamp motifs. Price: JPY 2,980 per pack. Sold out quickly. Unlike FR/DE/IT/AT crypto stamps, these NFTs have no physical stamp component and no face value — they are pure digital collector items on the private Rakuten blockchain. The stamp motifs exist separately as regular postage stamps in the Japanese postal system.
About the Stamp Art Series 2022
The Stamp Art Series from 3 October 2022 is Japan Post's first NFT edition and the pilot launch of the short-lived NFT stamp art programme. It was marketed jointly with Rakuten Group on the Rakuten NFT platform and consisted of three packs with animal, flower, and scenery themes.
In international comparison, the Stamp Art Series appeared as an early G7 edition:
| Issuer | First edition | Difference to Japan Post |
|---|---|---|
| Austria (AT) | 11.06.2019 (Crypto Stamp 1) | -3 years 4 months |
| Switzerland (CH) | 13.09.2021 (Swiss Crypto Stamp) | -1 year 1 month |
| Japan (JP) | 03.10.2022 (Stamp Art) | 0 |
| France (FR) | 18.09.2023 (NFTimbre1) | +11 months |
| Germany (DE) | 02.11.2023 (Brandenburg Gate) | +1 year 1 month |
| Italy (IT) | 21.11.2024 (Collezione Gialla) | +2 years 2 months |
Japan Post was thus among the earliest G7 pioneers in the NFT stamp space — almost a year before France and Germany. But: the model was fundamentally different, and programme vitality was shorter.
Three Packs: Animals, Flowers, Scenery
The edition consisted of three thematic packs, each based on real Japanese stamp designs:
Animals Pack
- 5 NFT designs
- Original stamp face values: 2-50 yen
- Lower face values → classical Japanese animal stamps
- 100 sets available
- Price: 2,980 JPY (~$20)
- Per NFT stamp: ~$4 acquisition value
Flowers Pack
- 6 NFT designs (largest count)
- Original stamp face values: 63-140 yen
- Medium face values → daily letter postage
- 100 sets available
- Price: 2,980 JPY (~$20)
- Per NFT stamp: ~$3.33 acquisition value
Scenery Pack
- 3 NFT designs (smallest count)
- Original stamp face values: 210-500 yen
- Highest face values → premium stamps (e.g. for parcels or express)
- 100 sets available
- Price: 2,980 JPY (~$20)
- Per NFT stamp: ~$6.67 acquisition value (highest original value)
Total mintage: 300 sets, 14 NFT designs. Sold out within a short time.
Programme Mechanic
The mechanic follows a pack-based NFT logic (typical for trading card and crypto NFT drops):
- Buyer chooses a pack theme (Animals, Flowers, or Scenery)
- Payment in yen via Rakuten ID (credit cards or Rakuten points) or in Ethereum (ETH)
- Pack is allocated to the Rakuten wallet via email/app notification
- NFTs become automatically visible in the Rakuten wallet (My Page)
- Secondary market listing within the Rakuten NFT platform possible
Important: There is no physical component — no booklet, no stamp, no box set. The buyer receives exclusively digital NFTs.
Tech Stack: Rakuten Private Blockchain
The Stamp Art Series is the first implementation of the Rakuten private blockchain architecture:
- Blockchain: Rakuten-owned private chain (proprietary, not publicly viewable)
- Platform: Rakuten NFT (nft.rakuten.co.jp)
- Joint-venture logic: Japan Post as IP supplier, Rakuten as platform operator
- Payment: yen via Rakuten ID, credit cards, Rakuten points — or ETH (Ethereum cryptocurrency)
- Secondary market: only within Rakuten NFT
- External verification: not possible (no block explorer findability)
- Self-custody: not clearly allowed (Rakuten controls wallet infrastructure)
This private-chain architecture fundamentally distinguishes the edition from all other major crypto stamp programmes (Tezos for FR, Polygon for DE/IT/AT/HR/NL/LU/BE/PT). Consequence: the NFTs are isolated in the Rakuten ecosystem.
Sales Performance and Secondary Market
Primary market (sales): According to press sources from October 2022, the 300 packs were quickly sold out — presumably within a few days or hours. The small mintage and premium pricing logic ($20 per pack) made a sellout likely.
Secondary market: Within weeks, individual stamp NFTs reached secondary market prices of up to $82 — from an original stamp price of ~$4 (in the Animals pack: 5 stamps for $20 = $4 per stamp). This corresponds to a 20× markup:
| Pack | Acquisition value per NFT stamp | Secondary market peak | Markup |
|---|---|---|---|
| Animals (5 designs) | ~$4 | up to $82 | up to 20× |
| Flowers (6 designs) | ~$3.33 | n/a | not public |
| Scenery (3 designs) | ~$6.67 | n/a | not public (presumably higher) |
This secondary market performance was localized within the Rakuten NFT platform — no transition to public NFT marketplaces like OpenSea possible. The market was thus structurally isolated.
As of May 2026, secondary market activity for the 2022 edition is presumably strongly reduced — Rakuten NFT has since 2024 transformed into an NFT ticket service and collector NFTs are no longer in focus.
Significance in the Programme
The Stamp Art Series marks several programme premieres:
- First Japanese crypto stamp / NFT stamp art edition — Japan Post's market entry into the NFT space
- First joint-venture implementation with Rakuten — establishment of the platform alliance
- First private blockchain edition in G7 comparison — different from all public-chain programmes
- NFT-only model as pilot — no hybrid twin, which shapes all subsequent phases
- Pack-based trading card mechanic — different from booklet (DE), block (FR), or box set (IT)
The edition is thus structural blueprint for the subsequent Posukuma phase 2 — the mechanic (packs, Rakuten platform, NFT-only) remains identical, only the theme switches from "real stamp motifs" to "mascot pop culture".
Structural Classification
The Stamp Art Series 2022 is the first example in the crypto stamp universe of an:
- NFT-only model (without physical component)
- External joint venture (instead of own platform or external tech provider)
- Private-chain architecture (instead of public chain)
- Pack-based trading card mechanic (instead of booklet/block/box set)
This structural independence makes the edition important in the wiki context, even if strictly speaking it is not a crypto stamp in the hybrid model sense. It demonstrates an alternative NFT postal policy approach that ultimately did not prevail commercially (programme pause since March 2023).
Frequently Asked Questions
What was Japan Post's first NFT edition?
The Stamp Art Series from 3 October 2022 — three packs (Animals, Flowers, Scenery) on the Rakuten NFT platform. A total of 300 sets (100 per pack), 14 NFT designs based on real Japanese stamp motifs. Price 2,980 JPY (~20 USD) per pack, quickly sold out. Japan Post was thus among the early G7 pioneers, but with a fundamentally different model than European crypto stamps.
Why do these NFTs have no face value?
Because they are NFT-only collector items, not physical stamps. With European crypto stamps, buyers receive a physical stamp with real face value plus the NFT as digital twin. With Japan Post, buyers receive only the NFT. The stamp motifs exist as separate postage stamps in the regular Japanese postal system, but the NFT versions themselves have no face value and are not usable stamps.
What was the secondary market behavior of the Stamp Art Series?
Aggressive value appreciation in the first weeks after launch. Press sources from October 2022 report that individual stamp NFTs achieved up to 82 USD on the secondary market — with an original price of about 4 USD per stamp (Animals pack: 5 stamps for 20 USD). This corresponds to a 20× markup. This secondary market activity took place exclusively on the Rakuten NFT platform, since the Rakuten private blockchain doesn't allow transfer to external platforms. The market is structurally isolated — collectors outside the Rakuten ecosystem have no access.