P12 Antique Japanese Advertising Poster – Tsuge (Boxwood) Combs, National Comb Association, c. 1920s–1930s

Elegant Japanese advertising poster from the Taishō to early Shōwa period (circa 1920s–1930s) created by the National Boxwood Comb Association of Japan (全国黄楊櫛同盟会) to promote the use of tsuge (boxwood) combs, a traditional and highly prized Japanese grooming tool.

Rather than advertising a single company or shop, this poster represents a nationwide industry promotion campaign, encouraging the public to choose high-quality, traditionally made boxwood combs, long valued in Japan for their durability and their ability to protect and enhance the natural shine of hair.

The composition features a refined young woman in an elegant kimono seated before a table with two tsuge combs. Her calm expression, immaculate hairstyle, and graceful posture embody the ideals of beauty, care, and refinement associated with traditional Japanese grooming culture.

Rendered in a highly polished, painterly style influenced by bijin-ga (images of beautiful women), the poster combines fine art aesthetics with modern commercial graphic design, making it both a cultural document and a striking decorative work.

This is a superb example of pre-war Japanese craft and lifestyle promotion, reflecting a period when traditional industries used sophisticated visual culture to defend and promote Japanese craftsmanship in a rapidly modernizing society.

Issued by: National Boxwood Comb Association of Japan (全国黄楊櫛同盟会)
Subject: Tsuge (Boxwood) Combs
Period: c. 1920s–1930s
Size: 78 × 54 cm