Chiune Sugihara (January 1, 1900 – July 31, 1986)

1940, Front side - Visa from Lithuania for Hersz Wulfson from Chiune Sugihara.: Tan visa with green cardstock cover/backing. (Orientation of the document exhibited as two halves) At the right side (right half) is printed text in Lithuanian and French and an outline in black ink. Cursive handwriting in black ink is present overall. At the top left corner is an overprint stamp depicting the Lithuanian Coat of Arms, an individual riding a horse. Directly to the right is a signature in bright green ink. Across the document, at the right, is a black-and-white image of a young woman. She has a short-medium length, dark curled haircut. She is wearing a light colored blouse or dress. At the center is the Lithuania Coat of Arms. At the center left, two black-and-white images, one depicting a woman, and the other Hersz Wulfson. The woman has a short-medium length, dark curled haircut. She is wearing a dark blouse or dress. Hersz is wearing a dark suit jacket, white dress shirt, and pattern tie. He has a short dark haircut and a mustache. Directly underneath the images is a signature in black ink. At the bottom left is a red and black 50-litas stamp depicting the Lithuanian Coat of Arms. An additional overprint stamp depicting the Lithuanian Coat of Arms is placed overtop the stamp. A signature in pencil is present at the bottom center. At the left side (left half) is one purple overprint stamp dated 1940.
1940, Front side - Visa from Lithuania for Hersz Wulfson from Chiune Sugihara.

Tan visa with green cardstock cover/backing. (Orientation of the document exhibited as two halves) At the right side (right half) is printed text in Lithuanian and French and an outline in black ink. Cursive handwriting in black ink is present overall. At the top left corner is an overprint stamp depicting the Lithuanian Coat of Arms, an individual riding a horse. Directly to the right is a signature in bright green ink. Across the document, at the right, is a black-and-white image of a young woman. She has a short-medium length, dark curled haircut. She is wearing a light colored blouse or dress. At the center is the Lithuania Coat of Arms. At the center left, two black-and-white images, one depicting a woman, and the other Hersz Wulfson. The woman has a short-medium length, dark curled haircut. She is wearing a dark blouse or dress. Hersz is wearing a dark suit jacket, white dress shirt, and pattern tie. He has a short dark haircut and a mustache. Directly underneath the images is a signature in black ink. At the bottom left is a red and black 50-litas stamp depicting the Lithuanian Coat of Arms. An additional overprint stamp depicting the Lithuanian Coat of Arms is placed overtop the stamp. A signature in pencil is present at the bottom center. At the left side (left half) is one purple overprint stamp dated 1940.

Name/Title

Chiune Sugihara (January 1, 1900 – July 31, 1986)

Entry/Object ID

2013.1.1

Scope and Content

1940, visa from Lithuania for Hersz Wulfson from Chiune Sugihara.

Context

Lithuania became a sovereign nation in the aftermath of WWI. In November 1939 Chiune-Sempo Sugihara was sent to Kovno (Kaunas) Lithuania to serve as Japan's Consul. Lithuania was annexed by the Soviet Union in the summer of 1940. All foreign diplomats were told to leave by the end of August. Thousands of refugees from Poland were trapped. The only way to avoid capture was to escape east and no one wanted to (or could) issue visas. Refugees learned that Curacao (a Dutch Caribbean colony) required no entry visas. A plan began with the Dutch consul in Kovno, Jan Zwartendijk issuing a letter with a Dutch stamp giving permission to go to Curacao. Sugihara then agreed to help by issuing “transit” visas allowing a path out through Kobe, Japan. However after several days the Japanese Foreign Ministry in Tokyo rejected the proposal. Sugihara disobeyed the order and between July and August 1940 issued between 2,000 to 3,500 visas for individuals and families. In 1946 Sugihara was dismissed from the Japanese Foreign Service. His understanding was that his dismissal was a consequence of his insubordination in Lithuania. In 1984 Yad Vashem recognized Chiune-Sempo Sugihara as Righteous Among the Nations. In 1986 he died as a hero in Japan. The majority of those receiving transit visas issued by Chiune Sugihara arrived in Japan. From there, they tried to get to the US, Australia, Canada and Palestine (rare). The majority ended up in Shanghai at the end of 1941, deported shortly before Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941). They were sent together with the Polish Tokyo based embassy, forced to shut down due to German pressure. The passport of Wulfson Hersz is stamped by Sugihara, visa #2095 dated August 31, 1940. The visa was for going to Palestine (not the usual route of Japan via Siberia). The travel document issued to the family Kaunas, Lithuania on September 3rd. The Hersz family exited Lithuania at Sumskas Railway station on September 22, staying in Moscow. On October 5th they left the Russian port city of Odessa, sailing directly to Turkey. The family most likely obtained a temporary traveling document from the British consulate in Turkey, going through Syria to end up in Palestine.

Collection

Righteous Among the Nations

Category

Visa
Philatelic Material

Lexicon

Nomenclature 4.0

Nomenclature Secondary Object Term

Visa

Nomenclature Primary Object Term

Document, Travel

Nomenclature Sub-Class

Other Documents

Nomenclature Class

Documentary Objects

Nomenclature Category

Category 08: Communication Objects

Archive Details

Date(s) of Creation

1940 - Aug 1940

Primary Language

Russian, Lithuanian, Traditional Mandarin (Chinese)

Ethnography

Cultural Region

Region

East Asia

Continent

Asia

Dimensions

Dimension Description

Measurement of the full length and width of the archive.

Width

12-7/16 in

Length

16-1/4 in

Relationships

Related Person or Organization

Person or Organization

Chiune-Sempo Sugihara

General Notes

Note Type

Cataloging Note

Note

C. Walrich - Updated (February 16 2026) C. Walrich - Added Provenance and Acquisition Information (February 23 2026) C. Walrich - Updated PDF (June 8 2026) C. Walrich - Updated Valuation (September 9 2026)