Nippon Post Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition - 1957

NIPPON POST on 30 January 1957 issued a First Day Cover stamp commemorating The Japanese Antarctic Research Expedition (Nankyoku chiiki kansoku-tai, JARE). The stamp featured the Japanese ship Soya Maru, a penguin and a globe to symbolise the International Geophysical Year.

The first JARE expedition and scientific research commenced in 1957 to coordinate with the International Geophysical Year. During this expedition the JARE team left behind 15 dogs, including Taro and Jiro, after an emergency evacuation in February 1958. This explains the cachet with sledge dogs and JARE personnel.

Taro (1955–1970) and Jiro  (1955–1960) were two Sakhalin Huskies which survived for eleven months in Antarctica after being left behind by the JARE. Due to poor weather conditions, the expedition was unable to airlift out 15 dogs, which were left chained and with only a few days' worth of food. Of these 15, seven of the dogs died on the chain, six of them disappeared, and two, Taro and Jiro, successfully overwintered and were discovered by the next research group the following spring. The dogs became a media sensation after their discovery, and became Japanese symbols of perseverance and fortitude. Jiro remained in Antarctica and died there as a working dog in 1960; Taro was brought to Japan, where he died in 1970. Both of their bodies were taxidermied and placed on display, and several monuments to the dogs have been erected in Japan.

Source: Wikipedia