| Lecture on Yasujiro Yamakawa - Traditional Doll Craftsman of Philadelphia |
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Thursday, November 20, 2008, 6:30 PM
The Bellevue, 7th Floor
Broad & Walnut Streets
Philadelphia, PA 19102
THE MYSTERIOUS LIFE OF YASUJIRO YAMAKAWA, A JAPANESE CRAFTSMAN WHO LIVED IN PHILADELPHIA 1907-1927
Yasujiro Yamakawa was a traditional doll craftsman better known by his professional name, Eitokusai. His exquisite creations are highly admired by connoisseurs of Japanese dolls today.
Yamakawa came to Philadelphia in 1907, worked for the now defunct Commercial Museum for 20 years. Returning to Tokyo in 1927, he lived 14 more years until his death in 1941. Strangely enough, he hardly told anyone what he was doing in America, not even to his nephew, Iwao, who cooperated closely with him in maintaining their family’s famous doll shop praised as No. 1 in pre-war Tokyo. His strange silence naturally intrigued Japanese doll historians and collectors. They have been eagerly searching materials related to him, but mostly in vain. As of today, no photograph of his has been found. No Philadelphian has even heard of the name of Yamakawa or Eitokusai.
Sumiko Enbutsu, author of several guidebooks in English and preservation activist in Tokyo, took the challenge of unraveling many mysteries hanging over him for a long time. As the result of her steady research since 2003 in both Tokyo and Philadelphia, she has succeeded in finding his footprints in the rich cultural fabric of early 20th century Philadelphia. She even discovered by pure serendipity three small works by Yamakawa among the existing Commercial Museum objects, which were contained in cardboard boxes labeled “China”. The discovered dolls are now under the custody of the Anthropology Laboratory of Temple University.
On the occasion of her fourth Philadelphia visit for this research in November 2008, she will share the results of her thrilling research with JASGP members, using a power point slide show.
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