Unlike the Chinese, that have been stifled by their government, the Japanese have been originators and design leaders. As collectors of oriental art and prints expand their horizons, and as the French Nouveau prices continue to soar out of sight. I think more people will discover the Japanese Nouveau, Deco and Europeanized art. There will always be those who think of oriental art as beautiful brush strokes, rice paper, bamboo shoots, the great wall, and Mt. Fuji. Chinese art and Japanese art are very different.
Nothing stays the same.
Art is like cooking, The great chief tastes everything and then creates a recipe he has stolen from someone else, so that the original cook doesn't recognize the usurpation. Many ephemera and postcard dealers do not stock these cards because of price, and you will have to frequent the more sophisticated dealers and shows, where you will find them in albums rather than with the topogra- phic views in boxes. You will even- tually be able to separate the styles and recognize the work of different artists. Just to confuse you, the Japanese brought in European artists to do advertising postcards, melding the feel of the occident with the orient. While you're looking through Japanese cards there were some incredible baseball postcards done when American teams, both college and professional, played in Japan.