Identifying Japanese Bromides (Starffin, Kawakami et al)

[prestigecollectibles]

The team in the upper left says Kinsei Stars 金星スターズ and the one to the write just says 金星 Kinsei.
1946 Gold Star was written in katakana as ゴールドスター

The card in the middle is HOF manager Sadayoshi Fujimoto. The player with two cards is Kunio Shimoyashiro 下社邦男. He played for the Stars only in 1948.

I don't know who the other two players are.

[Frankish]

Originally Posted by prestigecollectibles

The team in the upper left says Kinsei Stars 金星スターズ and the one to the write just says 金星 Kinsei.
1946 Gold Star was written in katakana as ゴールドスター

The card in the middle is HOF manager Sadayoshi Fujimoto. The player with two cards is Kunio Shimoyashiro 下社邦男. He played for the Stars only in 1948.

Robert, Thank you!!!

That is interesting about Gold Star only being written in katakana. 金 always throws me a little, as it makes me think of gold. I took my guess based on the uniforms and particularly the caps, which looked like the 1946 ones to me (more detailed photos attached, just for fun). But I'm glad to have better info now.

And I wasn't familiar with Shimoyashiro. Shimosha was close, but not that close....

[Kawika]

Any chance your guy is Kaoru Betto?

[prestigecollectibles]

I asked Gary about this card and he had one. The player is Shoji Kato 加藤正二
of Chubu Nippon Dragons. from the 1947 JBR36 set.

[japanbb]

Great purchase! I sometimes have difficulty finding cards in my own guide. It's not easy. I sympathize with everyone's frustration over all the bromide sets that haven't made it into the guide yet. I have over 100 partial bromide sets in my collection for which I don't yet have enough examples for inclusion. The good news is that there will be more than a dozen newly entered bromide sets in Version 3.0, which I hope to publish next summer.

Most of the cards that you have pictured in this thread seem to be from JBR 36, JBR 73, JBR 109, JBR 114, and a set produced by Marusaka in 1947 similar to their 1948 JBR 19 set, and which will be included in the next guide edition. Of course there are a few cards that you pictured which remain uncatalogued.

I'm glad to see so much recent interest in Vintage Japanese cards. I will continue to publish new editions of the guide as long as people remain interested.

[Frankish]

Originally Posted by japanbb

Great purchase! I sometimes have difficulty finding cards in my own guide. It's not easy. I sympathize with everyone's frustration over all the bromide sets that haven't made it into the guide yet. I have over 100 partial bromide sets in my collection for which I don't yet have enough examples for inclusion. The good news is that there will be more than a dozen newly entered bromide sets in Version 3.0, which I hope to publish next summer.

Most of the cards that you have pictured in this thread seem to be from JBR 36, JBR 73, JBR 109, JBR 114, and a set produced by Marusaka in 1947 similar to their 1948 JBR 19 set, and which will be included in the next guide edition. Of course there are a few cards that you pictured which remain uncatalogued.

I'm glad to see so much recent interest in Vintage Japanese cards. I will continue to publish new editions of the guide as long as people remain interested.

Thanks, Gary! I'm just getting into bromides and really enjoying it. While I started with menko and find their designs more interesting, there is an austere beauty to the bromide cards.

Anyway, your guide must be a real labor of love. I have dozens of obscure menko (and an unknown number of bromides) that aren't catalogued yet, though you are probably aware of most of them. I can only imagine how many cards and images you have in your files waiting for a given set to have enough specimens for inclusion in a future checklist....

[prestigecollectibles]

This is Shigejiro Kanbayashi 上林繁次郎 He joined the Dragons in 1947.

[Frankish]

Originally Posted by prestigecollectibles

I asked Gary about this card and he had one. The player is Shoji Kato 加藤正二
of Chubu Nippon Dragons. from the 1947 JBR36 set.

Thanks, again! With the trimmed card from the album alone, I never would have gotten it.

Page 4 is an interesting one, too, focused on the Chunichi Dragons and their predecessor Chubu Nippon. Dating the images (if not the cards themselves) is a bit simpler, as the Dragons changed uniforms every year or two during this period. The top right bromide shows the Dragons team picture from 1948 (the only year they wore this uniform if my research is correct).

Most of the page is cards or Hideo Shimizu, one of the team's top pitchers. There are either four or five of them, as one (bottom left) is unlabeled but I believe it is him, in a number of different uniforms, mostly the Chubu Nippon one worn in 1946 and 1947. I'm posting a close up of an interesting design.

The bottom right card appears to be Tsugihiro Hattori, another of the team's pitchers.

The bottom center player is a mystery to me. Obviously, he played for Chubu Nippon in either 1946 or 1947. Any ideas?


Shimizu - Dragons team
Shimizu - Shimizu - Shimizu
? - Kanbayashi - Hattori