Tortoise Shell Ware by Kawaguchi (1 results)

Yokohama c.1900 Kawaguchi. Red folded advert, 11.7 x 8.2 cm. opens to 16.5 x 11.7 cm., [4]p., very good & solid copy,very unique item, with English & Japanese vocabulary, Ricksha man vocabulary, Kawaguchi Company description.UNUSUAL TRADE CARD . *** **** *** . . . A PRESENT TO FOREIGN CUSTOMERS . . . JAPANESE-ENGLISH VOCABULARIES . . . FOR USE WITH THE RICKSHAW MAN & IN TEA HOUSES . . * This charming piece of ephemera was given to foreigner customers. The small folding card has a very nice, colorful with text: . Front Cover: . "KAWACHUCHI & CO. 41, Ben-Ten-Dori, Yokohama TORTOISE-SHELL WARE Manufactory 16, Funa-Daiku-Machi, Nagasaki Orders Carefully Executed Promptly Agent. Y. Matsui & Co. 216 Motomachi 1-Chome, Kobe" . Followed by Japanese Kanji [Japanese Characters] showing much of the above. . Inside Cover [p.2]: . "KAWAGUCHI & Co. Beg to state that the material of the articles manufactured by us are the best; Personal attention being given to the quality of the Tortoise-Shell, our workmen are highly paid. . A large selection of all the description of genuine Tortoise-Shell goods are kept at our show-rooms in Yokohama. . The goods are manufacture at the factory in Nagasaki and customers are respectfully invited to inspect the goods in process of manufacture there. . A written guarantees given to all Tortoise-shell articles. . Look over." [means see next page] . Page 3: . "MEMO" Shows several blank lines where clients may write notes for products of interest. . Back Cover [p.4]: . "VOCABULARY FOR RIKISHAMAN" ["Jin Ri Ki Sha" in Japanese] . This lists two columns of English to Romanized Japanese words. Each column has seven entries, 14 in all. . Vocabulary such as "Tortoise-shell Store [naturally the first word a foreigner needs to know !], How Much, left, right, stop, hurry up, give me a change, this way, slowly straight, go on, turn the corner, which way." . The second section states: " VOCABULARY AT TEA HOUSES, Etc." This lists 14 in the first column, 13 in the second. . The "Tea House" is a generic name for two things: first it is a brothel, second a place to drink tea and relax. . The vocabulary begins with "Toilet room, Bed, hot water, tea, soap, child, woman, good, cake, vegetable, good morning, tomorrow, bill, maid, pillow, bath, cold water, sugar, man, fine, meal, fruit, thanks, good night, by and by" [means 'good bye']. . "Look Over." [again this means turn over to the front page] . *** THE RIKISHA: JIN RIKI SHA, was the main means of common transportation in Japan, pulled by one coolie. Being low on the social scale, Rickshaw men spoke a very few words of English, therefore it was essential for foreigners to use some Japanese to get around. This pamphlet assisted in that endeavor. . THE RICKSHAW IN JAPAN: Per the Japanese scholar Edward Seidensticker wrote of the theories: . "Though the origins of the rickshaw are not entirely clear, they seem to be Japanese, and of Tokyo specifically. The most widely accepted theory offers the name of three inventors, and gives 1869 as the date of invention." . Starting in 1870, the Tokyo government issued a permission to build and sell rickshaws. . The rickshaw's popularity in Japan declined by the 1930s with the advent of automated forms of transportation. . After World War II, when gasoline and automobiles were scarce, they made a temporary come-back. The rickshaw tradition has stayed alive in Kyoto and Tokyo's Geisha districts, and only for tourists. . *** Color photos are posted to our website. . (=*** REFERENCE: . See Wikipedia under 'pulled_rickshaw' & rickshaw for more de ails. . ***.