neglus
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posted on September 14, 2007 12:23:59 PM new
I imagine that the ladies in this postcard are geishas but what do you call the men in the funny hats and grass capes? Thanks in advance.
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http://stores.ebay.com/Moody-Mommys-Marvelous-Postcards?refid=store
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niel35
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posted on September 14, 2007 12:39:05 PM new
Old fawts preying on young girls !
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softypapa
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posted on September 15, 2007 07:28:19 AM new
I love your postcard!
I can`t answer your question regarding what the pictured men are called though I can offer some general information about the subject and setting.
The one woman appears to be seated in a form of travel litter which were once a common mode of transport in Japan. These devices are called `kago` in Japanese and the one in this picture is quite simple with no sides (though these may be rolled up and carried on top) and an unusual inclined seat. The two men are likely the litter-bearers as they are appropriately dressed in old style straw rain coats and all weather hats. This shot appears to be posed to appear as though the group were stopped for a break, as the men have their walking sticks (ikizue) propped against the kago and the man in the rear in enjoy some puffs on his kiseru smoking pipe. The men are wearing cheap and disposable waraji straw sandles which are appropriate and perfect for their job. The woman outside the kago is wearing wooden geta which are much too large for walking long distance which suggests that she would be travelling in a kago of her own. It`s interesting to note that kago bearers in old Japan were often very good at working together to provide a smooth ride for their passenger who could sometimes even write or enjoy a cup of tea while being carried along rough, unpaved roads and trails.
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neglus
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posted on September 15, 2007 08:23:26 AM new
Thank you Papa! I really appreciate your help. I wanted to tell you that I came across your store awhile ago and really admired it and your blogs (your daughter is darling).
I have a magnificent real photo postcard of a man dressed in this grass cape with a similar hat and walking stick - are all men dressed like that "kago bearers"? Would you date these around 1910 or thereabouts?
Thanks again!
Mary Ann
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http://stores.ebay.com/Moody-Mommys-Marvelous-Postcards?refid=store
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classicrock000
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posted on September 15, 2007 12:48:04 PM new
"I imagine that the ladies in this postcard are geishas but what do you call the men in the funny hats and grass capes?"
gay Japanese?
"The one woman appears to be seated in a form of travel litter which were once a common mode of transport in Japan"
yea my cat still uses it..
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If you look like your passport photo, you probably need the trip
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hwahwa
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posted on September 15, 2007 03:40:18 PM new
Back then these men will carry women on their back across the street when it rains so their kimono would not get wet and feet would not get dirty.
In China,men coming out of an opium den too tired to walk can hitch the same ride.
I wonder if this is where Henry Ford gets the inspiration?
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Lets all stop whining !
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softypapa
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posted on September 15, 2007 05:07:36 PM new
Hello Mary Ann,
Thank you for your kind words. 
The outfits the men are wearing were once common to anyone traveling in inclement weather. The more distinguishing characteristics of kago bearers are their near nakedness during warm weather (just a simple loincloth, sandals and maybe a hat) as well as the enormous callous hump which can be seen on the shoulder where they bear the kago beam.
As to the age of the card I agree with your early 20th century estimate. However, the scene being depicted is probably from a still earlier time. The Japanese are very nostalgic for their countryfs feudal period (samurai days) and they enjoy scenes which invoke the sentiment of this time. Contemporary Japanese will even done old fashioned outfits and pose for period shots not unlike the Wild West photos Americans enjoy having made when visiting towns like Tombstone, Arizona. I would guess that this photo was prepared by a professional photographer with actors in costume and may have been sold as part of a postcard set in an area where an old highway once passed or perhaps at a famous shrine where pilgrims would venture.
Thank you for sharing this splendid image!
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hwahwa
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posted on September 15, 2007 07:57:32 PM new
SOFTYPAPA,
A question for you- is it socially acceptable to be sitting so close together- I mean the female customers and the male laborers?
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Lets all stop whining !
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softypapa
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posted on September 16, 2007 03:44:33 AM new
Hello hwahwa,
I just asked my wife (Japanese) to look at the photo and her opinion was that though the setting is a bit cozy it did not seem inappropriate.
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pixiamom
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posted on September 16, 2007 08:23:10 AM new
Sorry for jumping in, but I've been struggling with another Japanese postcard. Is this a royal wedding? If so, whose? TIA.
[ edited by pixiamom on Sep 16, 2007 08:37 AM ]
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otteropp
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posted on September 16, 2007 08:32:18 AM new
I just have to say that once more Vendio has provided me with a forum where I learn so much!
Thank you Neglus for posting this card and Papa for your answers.
Now I can't wait to read what Pixiamom's card is all about.
This is all fascinating stuff and is now stored somewhere in the recesses of my mind in case I ever find anything like this!
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hwahwa
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posted on September 16, 2007 08:45:36 AM new
If you can make those Kansi characters darker and clearer,I can tell you what it is all about.
It is some kind of event taken place during Meiji period,but the card is modern.
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Lets all stop whining !
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pixiamom
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posted on September 16, 2007 09:09:19 AM new
Thanks, Hwahwa. Here are the captions on the front of the card:
Here are the captions on the back (probably publisher info):
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hwahwa
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posted on September 16, 2007 09:43:17 AM new
1903 october 21st,some kind of ceremony taken place in the royal palace ,like they have just open a library of wall paintings .
So it is not a wedding ceremony,the lady in white could be a royal family member .
may be softypapa's wife can interpret this better.
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Lets all stop whining !
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softypapa
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posted on September 17, 2007 05:31:16 AM new
I asked Yumiko to take a look and the only info she could add in addition to hwahwa's translation is that the image in the picture appears to be a wall mural at a museum in Ueno park in Tokyo. The artist is Yuasa Ichiro and the the sponsor was the Japan Red Cross.
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pixiamom
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posted on September 17, 2007 06:35:06 AM new
Thank you both so much!
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NEGLUS
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posted on September 19, 2007 12:20:33 PM new
Wow! Just found a cache of cards DH stashed away and came across a card very similar to the first one....except the litter bearers are dressed a little differently!
This card has an English title "Japanese Lady in a Traveling Chair". Are these geishas or noble women? Is the woman on the left smoking opium? Is she the maid of the fancier lady?
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http://stores.ebay.com/Moody-Mommys-Marvelous-Postcards?refid=store
[ edited by NEGLUS on Sep 19, 2007 12:22 PM ]
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sthoemke
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posted on September 19, 2007 05:19:46 PM new
It is called a Kago (traveling chair)
Wiki entry:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kago
A google search brings up a bunch of images:
http://images.google.com/images?svnum=10&um=1&hl=en&q=Kago+chair
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hwahwa
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posted on September 19, 2007 06:06:37 PM new
WOW,I am shocked!
No,the lady is not smoking opium.
They are not nobility either,just plain women who dont want to walk.
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