University of Northern Iowa

Japan

Displaying 1 - 13 of 13
Catalog # Name Description
1 2016-32-2 Dish Example of an occupied Japan stamped silver dish. The dish has the mark " Made in Occupied Japan" During the years after WWII, Japanese manufactures were banned from exporting although American authorities occupying controlled territories permitted the sale of items "Made in Occupied Japan" that were regulated through the years 1946 and 1947.  After the regulation was lifted, much of the same tooling was used so the marking continued until about 1955.  It took months before Japan could re-tool the manufacturing process from war to peacetime. The Japanese had to conform to a strict U.S. Government identification process for exporting all manufactured goods. 2016-32-2 (Dish) image
2 2017-1-4 Mask Japanese good luck mask with two red tassels at the corners of the mouth. The face is smiling and winking. 2017-1-4 (Mask) image
3 2017-1-5 Mask Oval Japanese "good luck" mask, depicted smiling. Plant fibers create a beard 18 cm long. 2017-1-5 (Mask) image
4 2022-27-22 Shoko Japanese gong (2022-27-22A) and mallet (2022-27-22B). 2022-27-22A: The gong is a solid circle of metal, most likely bronze, approximately 1 cm thick; there is a single hole in the metal, approximately 3 1/2 cm from the edge through which a loop of thick metal wire has been strung, the wire has been bent into a shape resembling a bowling pin and soldered closed to create a continuous loop.  2022-27-22B: The mallet is made from two pieces of wood, a long cylindrical handle and a barrel shaped head, the handle is attached to the head through a hole made in one side; there is a groove cut around the wood of the handle near the bottom used to hold a gold cord with tassels which has been tied around it in place. 
5 2022-27-31 Biwa Japanese string instrument, part of the lute family. Wooden body is teardrop-shaped and has 3 small sound holes, 2 near the top of the soundboard/face are partially covered with white, crescent-shaped inserts and 1 is obscured under the string holder near the bottom; the string holder is made of wood with decorative white insets, it has 8 small holes through it, arranged in pairs with each string looping through two holes, allowing them to stay firmly in place without using a traditional knot. The neck is made from a separate piece of wood from the body, the two are attached via a peg at the bottom of the neck which fits snugly into a hole at the top of the body, there is no adhesive used as the pieces are meant to be taken apart for storage and transportation; there are 5 trapezoidal wooden frets of various sizes running up the neck. The pegbox is attached to the neck similarly to how the neck is attached to the body, it is rectangular with a flared finial and runs horizontal to the neck; there are 4 wooden, tapered cylindrical pegs with carved rounded ridges and white circular inserts at the outside tips. There are 4 strings of varying thickness, most likely made from silk.
6 2022-27-36 Koto Large, string instrument in the half-tube zither family known for being the national instrument of Japan. The body of the instrument is made from what appears to be a single piece of wood which is hollow in the middle, the inside of the instrument is visible through 2 sound holes on the bottom, one near each end; it is curved on the top and bottom and flat on the sides. Another type of wood is used for a rest on the bottom of one end of the instrument and for 2 low bridges at either end of the instrument where the strings are attached. There are 13 strings but only 12 bridges, presumably one has been lost; the strings appear to be made from a thick nylon thread; the bridges are made from white plastic and can be moved up and down the string in order to change the pitch. The strings are tied in two different ways, on one end the strings are tied around small rolls of paper inside of the instrument and come out through small holes ringed with metal, on this end of the instrument there is a removable cover made from white, orange and gold fabric, under which is a decorative painting of two birds flying; at the other end the strings are brought over the end of the instrument, through the sound hole, then back up through small holes ringed with metal near the bridge and tied off, the excess string is then carefully formed into 2 loops which are woven through the strings to keep them in place, this end also has a piece of orange, white and gold fabric which is decorative, but also serves to protect the wood from the pressure of the strings.
7 2022-27-38 Kagura Suzu Japanese bells used in Kagura dance, a Shinto tradition performed in shrines and at court. 12 gold metal bells, somewhat resembling jingle bells, are strung on wire which is arranged into 3 tiers, 2 bells on the top tier, 4 on the middle tier, and 6 on the bottom tier; the wire is inserted into a gold metal cone which is attached to a flat, gold metal plate that is shaped like a 6 petaled flower, it has a decorative pattern etched into the top. This top bell portion of the instrument is affixed to an 18 1/2 cm long, cylindrical wooden handle; the handle has decorative gold metal plating nailed into each end. On the bottom of the handle is a metal hoop through which a gold-colored cord has been looped, attached to the cord are 5 ribbons, one light blue, one tan, one red, one white, and one yellow, the ribbons are approximately 93 cm long.
8 2022-27-42 Bow Instrument bow used for playing the Japanese kokyū, a spike fiddle that resembles the shamisen and the only traditional Japanese instrument that is played with a bow. The bow stick is made of two pieces of wood which are meant to be taken apart when not in use; the two pieces are connected to one another by a 4.5 cm long ring of metal into which smaller pegs carved into the end of each piece fit. The bottom piece of the bow stick is straight and tapered, starting thick at the bottom and becoming thinner near the metal connector; on this portion of the stick there is a small metal ring approximately 18.5 cm up from the bottom, a dark purple thread (possibly silk) is tied around this ring then wrapped around the stick above it several times, this thread holds one end of the horse hair. The top piece of the bow stick is also tapered slightly and curves at the top; near the tip is a metal hook through which a metal loop at the top of the horse hair is attached. The horse hair, which is drawn across the strings to produce sound, is white and held together in a bundle by white thread (possibly silk) looped around it at either end and tied tightly; there is a clear plastic ring also around the horse hair which can be moved around.  
9 2022-27-58 Taiko Japanese Taiko, or drum, specifically from the tsuzumi category, which are notable for their hourglass shape. This example has heads on both sides of the body, as is typical of all Taiko; these heads are approximately 5.5 cm wider than the widest part of the drum body, although the body is not perfectly center. The heads are made from an unknown white material (most likely a parchment made from animal hide) which has been stretched over a wooden disk with a hole in the center for the body of the instrument; the face of each drum head have black painted details in the form of two black rings (one around the outside edge and the other around where the body of the drum meets the head) and three dots around each of the 6 holes made for the rope that holds the drum together to be strung; the wood on the underside of each head is painted gold. Light orange rope is strung through each of the 6 holes made around the edges of both heads and tied around itself in the center, holding the drum together and allowing it to be tuned by tightening or loosening the rope around the center. The body of the drum has been carved into an hourglass shape and hollowed out, it has been painted black with gold floral detailing.
10 2022-27-59 Taiko Japanese Taiko, or drum, specifically from the shime-daiko category, which are notable for their smaller size and drum heads which are stretched across metal rings and fastened to the body via ropes, allowing the drum to be tuned. This example has heads on both sides of the body, as is typical of all Taiko; the heads are approximately 4.5 cm wider than the body, but the body of the drum is not perfectly centered between the two heads. The heads are made from hide which has been stretched over a ring (most likely made from iron or steel), the ring and outer portion of each had has been painted black with gold detailing.; each head has 10 holes around the inside edge of the metal ring through which orange rope has been strung, attaching the two heads to one another and keeping the body of the drum in place, the rope is wrapped around itself 4 times in the center. The body of the drum is a hollowed out piece of wood which has been painted black with gold flecks.
11 2022-27-60 Instrument Japanese double reed wind instrument (Hichiriki), traditionally used in Shinto wedding ceremonies. The body is made from bamboo and has a very subtle conical shape; it has 9 total holes, 7 in the front and 2 in the back. Thin strips of dark wood have been wrapped around the body of the instrument at the top and bottom and between each of the holes. This example is only the body of the instrument as there is no reed attached.
12 2022-27-64 Instrument Japanese transverse, or side-blown, flute, made from bamboo. The inside of the flute is completely smooth and painted a reddish brown color while the outside is left more rough and is simply stained; there are thin strips of wood wrapped around the outside of the flute, leaving gaps for the holes as well as an extra gap near the top. There are 8 total holes in the top of the instrument, 1 large one for the mouthpiece and 7 smaller ones which can be covered to create different notes. The hole at the top of the flute has been filled with an unknown substance and covered with a piece of orange and silver fabric, the bottom hole is left open.
13 2022-27-67 Instrument Japanese free reed wind instrument (Shō) descended from the Chinese Sheng. Instrument consists of 17 reddish-brown bamboo pipes of various lengths inserted into a cylindrical wooden base. The base has a smooth, dark brown coating with gold detailing depicting a bird with long tail feathers and its wings spread out as well as some leaves and flowers; there is a protruding, pointed oval shaped mouthpiece with a metal cap that has a rectangular hole in the center. The pipes are arranged into a symmetrical ascending pattern with the two longest opposite each other on either side of the mouthpiece, this arrangement is meant to give the impression of wings; all but 3 pipes have small holes near the base which are covered by fingers when played; the pipes are held together with a single piece of silver metal which is wrapped around every pipe approximately 10.5 cm above the base, this metal strip is held in place by a combination of features including metal caps placed on the three shortest pipes, metal slots protruding from the two short pipes on the side opposite the mouthpiece, and the strip itself being pinched into the small gap between the pipes above the mouthpiece. Sitting on the pinched section of the metal strip in between the pipes is a small, oblong object made of red patterned fabric and stuffed with an unknown material; this object can be removed and its use is unclear.