1932 Japanese Women's Tennis Team photo

Bunkerhill

Sempai

17 Aug 2016

133

34

• 30 Nov 2017

• #1

I purchased this photo a couple years ago and find it very charming but also a bit sad. One aspect I enjoy of the photo is the combination of Western culture and the Japanese people. Tennis of course, being European in origin. The photo is dated 1932 and as the viewer of the photo, you see these happy young people but you also know something horrible is coming to their country. Whenever I see these pre WWII photos I often wonder what became of the people depicted.

But - enough of that. Not much of a caption but a brief couple of words under the date on the back of the photo. Also, one of the girl's names is written on the front and an embossed photo studio signature is seen in the lower right. I have cropped the photo so you might see the detail of the people better.

 

Bunkerhill

Sempai

17 Aug 2016

133

34

• 30 Nov 2017

• Thread starter
• #2

Here are the detail scans which include names and the reverse of the photo.

 

Mike Cash

骨も命も皆此の土地に埋めよう

Twenty-year veteran

15 Mar 2002

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• 30 Nov 2017

• #3

The studio was located in the Hibiya area of Tokyo, in the then still quite new (built in 1929) Shisei Kaikan building, which still stands.

市政会館 - Wikipedia

Ladies' tennis was hardly a sport of the hoi polloi back in those days; as long as you're passing out sympathy for the plight of others there were tons more women throughout the country far more deserving of it for their immediate circumstances without even taking into account the Impending Unpleasantness.

 

Toritoribe

松葉解禁

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22 Feb 2008

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• 30 Nov 2017

• #4

The signature on the girl would be her given name "miyiko" みゐこ. "Yi" is a romaji for ゐ which is usually not used in modern Japanese.

The name of the photo studio is 高木寫（＝写）真店 Takagi Photo Studio.

The one on the back would be 芝川実 Shibakawa Minoru, or could be 寛 Hiroshi. It's a male name, anyway.

 

Bunkerhill

Sempai

17 Aug 2016

133

34

• 30 Nov 2017

• Thread starter
• #5

Thank you, Toritoribe. Much appreciated.

 

Toritoribe

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• 30 Nov 2017

• #6

Mike-san also replied. :emoji_wink:

 

Mike Cash

骨も命も皆此の土地に埋めよう

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• 30 Nov 2017

• #7

Toritoribe said:

Mike-san also replied. :emoji_wink:

Click to expand...

I didn't add anything interesting.

 

Toritoribe

松葉解禁

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• 30 Nov 2017

• #8

I believe 日比谷 市政会館 is a useful information.:

 

Bunkerhill

Sempai

17 Aug 2016

133

34

• 1 Dec 2017

• Thread starter
• #9

Yes, he sure did. Thank you, Mike...

 

nice gaijin

Resident Realist

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Twenty-year veteran

8 Aug 2005

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• 1 Dec 2017

• #10

I'm impressed by Miyiko's penmanship, really like the geometry of her script!

 

Mike Cash

骨も命も皆此の土地に埋めよう

Twenty-year veteran

15 Mar 2002

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• 1 Dec 2017

• #11

Toritoribe said:

I believe 日比谷 市政会館 is a useful information.:

Click to expand...

I read the Wikipedia page and thought it was pretty interesting. Given the events of 1945, pretty much any existing prewar Tokyo building is automatically interesting.