Identifying Japanese Bromides (Starffin, Kawakami et al)

[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

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

Ah, thank you! That makes sense.

The next page starts with four different bromides of Michio Nishizawa, who I've always liked a great deal, at least from everything I've read. Below that to the right is a nice action shot of Kiyoshi Sugiura throwing back the bat. This is probably from the 1947 or 1948 season, so either his second or third as a pro.

Two of the three remaining cards are, I believe, Tsubouchi at bat. The last looks like his teammate (#33) but I don't know who that is.

Two of these last bromides are very small (1.5" x 1").


Nishizawa - Nishizawa
Nishizawa - Nishizawa
Sugiura - Sugiura
Sugiyama RC - Tsubouchi

[Jeff Alcorn]

Hello Frank,

That is a fantastic collection! Japanese bromide cards are the most fascinating cards to research by far. Robert has done a great job helping you, and I have a couple of tidbits to throw in which may be of interest.

On page 1 the Pacific player is indeed catcher Masumi Isekawa. Since the card lists his team as the Robins the issuer was simply using a 1946 photo when the team was known as Pacific.

Page 2 The top row is Iijima - Naito; middle row is Kiyohara - Iijima; bottom row is Kiyohara - Kumagami. I think Robert made a typo on the top row.

Page 3, as Robert indicated, has 2 team cards one reading Kinsei Stars and the other Kinsei Team. The Stars photo has the 1946 Goldstar team picture, but the card has the name change to Kinsei thus making the card a 1947 issue.

Page 4 the bottom right player is Hattori as you noted. The bottom left player, however, cannot be Hideo Shimizu since he is right handed and Shimizu was a lefty.

Page 5- Only the bottom right card is Michinori Tsubouchi. He is with the Stars and the card says: "Stars Tsubouchi Batting Form". The card with player #30 indicates it is a game between the Dragons and the Hawks. Note that the card with player #33 has the same font used for the uniform number as #30, and they have the same hats and socks. The only team in Japan with a #30 & #33 in 1948 was the Dragons and #30 is Kiyoshi Sugiura (notice his trademark bat release similar to his other card) and #33 was rookie OF Satoru Sugiyama. In fact Sugiyama was the only #33 in all of Japanese baseball that year.

Hope that helps,

Jeff

[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