Japanese Stamps Digital Museum

桜切手(外国通信用 鳥切手) << 1875年(明治9年) 1月1日 / 8日) >> みほん 1-1-6

Hand carved (Etched) stamps 5 (Cherry Blossom) - Specimen -
<< Foreign communication bird stamp >> Issued on 1st.(or 8th) January 1875

"Cherry blossom stamp" (Foreign communication bird dejign / Western paper Syllabics ) - Specimen -
Issued on 1st.(or 8th) January 1875
In 1875 (Meiji 8),Bird design stamps for foreign has issued with the start of foreign mail. On the other hand, all the Sakura Stamps have been changed to Western paper and pseudonym added.Of these, 45 sen is for heavy mail, with no applicable destination country. From this time, the US post offices in Yokohama, Nagasaki, Kobe, and Hakodate were abolished.

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The above is only true for specimen stamps.
For more information and official printed stamps, see this.
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[reference] Japanese sutamp Specialized Catalogue 2007 Edited by J.P.S.Catalogue Editing Committee