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Pitt Rivers Museum

1908.82.170

Leaf-amulet for family happiness inside a folded paper, with pink paper binding and inscription in black with red stamp. [SM 24/09/2008]


1908.82.170

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Collection type
Object
Description
Leaf-amulet for family happiness inside a folded paper, with pink paper binding and inscription in black with red stamp. [SM 24/09/2008]
Geographical reference
Honshu Shimane Prefecture
Cultural groups
Japanese
Date / Period
Date made: Before 1908
Date collected
By 1908
Acquisition information
Donated: 1908
Materials and processes
Material Pigment, Material Paper Plant, Material Glue, Material Plant Leaf, Material Ink, Process Stamped, Process Bound, Process Glued
Dimensions
Width: max 69 mm, Length: max 190 mm
Object numbers
Accession number: 1908.82.170 Other numbers: Chamberlain no. 214
Research and responses

Bon Koizumi, from Shimane Women's College in Matsue Japan, during a research visit in June 2006 examined this object and thought, because of the location of the shrine, that it was probably collected by Lafcadio Hearn. Hearn, was based in the area, and was asked by Chamberlain to collect material for him from this region. [ZM 09/06/2006]

See Collectors: Chamberlain in related documents file for information about Lafcadio Hearn. [ZM 12/09/2006]

This object was examined by Professor Itaru Chijiwa during his research visit in November 2008. He noted spelling mistakes in the Accession Book Entry and Card Catalogue Entry. "Renditamazubachi" is actually spelt "Renri tamatsubaki" and "tamagubachi" is spelt "tamatsubaki". He noted that the word "Camellia" is written on the top left in kanji (Chinese characters) and that plant leaf inside the amulet might be a camellia leaf. [SM 02/12/2008]

Associated publications
See researchers file 'Koizumi' for copy of an article 'Prayer Inscriptions from the Shrines of Izumo which travelled to the Seas of England' by Bon Koizumi, San-In Minzoku Kenkyu: Bulletin of San-In Folklore Society, no 13 (2008), pp. 3-25. This object is listed in a table on p. 7. [The article is written in Japanese apart from copies of correspondence between Chamberlain and Hearn]. [ZM 21/08/2008]

Search terms: Religion, Ornament, Writing, Amulet, Religious Object, Envelope, Inscription