Gifts of Friendship is a 2015 U.S.–Japan joint stamp issue built around cherry blossoms, flowering dogwoods and four architectural scenes. The USPS version is a 12-stamp souvenir sheet with four designs, but the designs are not present in equal quantities.
Why the issue was created
USPS and Japan Post released their Gifts of Friendship issues on April 10, 2015. The joint project marked 100 years since the United States sent flowering dogwood trees to Japan in 1915. That gift followed Tokyo’s 1912 gift of cherry trees to Washington, D.C., linking the two flowering trees with the relationship between the countries.
The four designs
| Design origin | Scene | Flower |
|---|---|---|
| USPS | Lincoln Memorial | Cherry blossoms |
| USPS | U.S. Capitol | Pink and white dogwoods |
| Japan Post | National Diet Building | Cherry blossoms |
| Japan Post | Clock tower near the National Diet Building | White dogwoods |
Paul Rogers created the two U.S. scenes with art director and designer William J. Gicker. Junko Kaifuchi illustrated the two Japan Post scenes. Gicker and Greg Breeding designed the complete pane.
How the 12-stamp sheet is arranged
The left portion presents one of each of the four designs and includes two Japanese characters meaning “friendship.” The right portion contains eight additional stamps—four more Lincoln Memorial designs and four more U.S. Capitol designs.
| Design | Quantity in the USPS souvenir sheet |
|---|---|
| Lincoln Memorial with cherry blossoms | 5 |
| U.S. Capitol with dogwoods | 5 |
| National Diet Building with cherry blossoms | 1 |
| Clock tower with dogwoods | 1 |
This 5–5–1–1 distribution matters when identifying a complete sheet or buying for a particular scene. The USPS announcement specified that the souvenir sheet was not to be split for its original retail sale.
Official issue specifications
| Issue date | April 10, 2015 |
|---|---|
| First-day city | Washington, D.C. |
| USPS item number | 589800 |
| Postage | First-Class Mail Forever |
| Format | Pressure-sensitive souvenir sheet of 12 |
| Designs | 4 |
| Manufacturing process | Offset and microprint |
| Printer | Ashton Potter (USA) Ltd. |
Are the stamps still valid?
Yes. Genuine, unused Forever stamps remain valid for the current one-ounce First-Class Mail letter rate, even though the sheet originally sold when that rate was 49 cents. A heavier, square, rigid, oversized or international mailpiece may need additional postage.
Identification and buying checklist
- Confirm the USPS item is a 12-stamp souvenir sheet, not a standard pane of 20.
- Check for the correct four scenes and 5–5–1–1 design distribution.
- Inspect the title, friendship characters and surrounding text when a seller claims the sheet is complete.
- Distinguish the USPS pane from separate Japan Post products and joint first-day covers.
- Decide whether the intact pane, selvage and condition matter to you before using individual stamps for mail.
Frequently asked questions
How many Gifts of Friendship stamp designs are there?
The USPS souvenir sheet contains four designs: two created for USPS and two illustrated for Japan Post.
Does the sheet contain three of each design?
No. It contains five of each U.S. design and one of each Japanese-designed scene.
Are Gifts of Friendship stamps international postage?
The USPS stamps are ordinary First-Class Mail Forever stamps, not Global Forever stamps. International mail requires the applicable international postage total.
Official sources and related guides
See USPS Stamp Announcement 15-17 and the USPS joint-issue history. Browse related designs in Flower Forever Stamps and read the international-mail guide before using domestic Forever stamps overseas.
Issue facts checked September 1, 2026.