All Japanese stamps to about 1895 were freely counterfeited as soon as they are out of issue.
There was no law against it so long as it is printed with the "Mezo Mark" (the Japanese character for "facsimile").
This gave forgers free rein and the foreign market was flooded with reproductions. Non-Japanese could not read the "Mezo". Then too, on general principles, it was always covered up in "used" copies.
For comprehensive information on Japanese forgeries, go to the
International Society for Japanese Philately's web site at http://www.isjp.org/isjp.html
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