HOME> Permanent Exhibitions > History of AD in Japan >1. Decorative advertisement of the Edo period Tobacco pouches for summer, the store by Santo Kyoden / by Utamaro / 1796 / Nishiki-e Edo Meibutsu Toji Ryuko Sugoroku featuring popular products of Edo / by Ichiuntei Anshu with text by Goryutei Tokumasu / Circa 1830-1843 / Esugoroku (Parcheesi)   During the Edo period (1603-1867), mass media had not yet made its mark on society, and it could rightly be termed as an era of "prehistory" in Japanese advertising. Yet by the mid-18th century, lively advertising activities, similar to present-day, were taking place in large cities such as Edo and Osaka. Merchants competed aggressively by displaying signboards in front of their stores, and distributing numerous hikifuda (similar to today’s flyers) in order to attract customers. Merchants also printed the name of their stores and products in nishiki-e (colored woodblock prints) in a casual manner, as well as inserting their brand names in prologue and dialogue spoken by actors in the Kabuki plays.   Surugacho Echigoya (picture of a beautiful woman at the store) / by Kunisada (1st) / Circa 1830-1843 / Nishiki-e (triptych) Decorative advertisement of the Edo period Cultural enlightenment period and the modernization of advertising Advancement of consumer society and modernism in advertising Rapid progress and regression in advertising industry Post-war resurgence and the introduction of broadcast advertising Economic growths and the technical advancement in advertising New developments in advertising