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Author Topic: Book review: Edo Tops by M. and M. Hiroi, 1993  (Read 4401 times)

ta0

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Re: Book review: Edo Tops by M. and M. Hiroi, 1993
« Reply #15 on: January 20, 2021, 08:27:15 PM »

In addition to the 200 komas from those three series, there are another 148 komas from Michiaki Hiroi (広井 道顕).

The 5th section includes komas by 9 of his disciples:
1- Tamio Niiyama (新山民夫)
2- Takashi Kamada (鎌田 孝志)
3- Hideo Watanabe (渡辺英夫)
4-  Hoshi Hiroaki (星博秋)
5- Koji Narumura (鳴村幸二)
6- Mi Niiyama (新山美)
7- Yuichi Komuro (小室由一)
8- Hoshisadayoshi (星定良)
9 Masashi Hirabayashi (平林 正志)

The 6th section has 110 komas from Michiaki's brother Masaaki Hiroi (広井 政昭)

The 7th section has tops by Tamotsu Fukushima (福島 保)
The 8th section by Kumiko Enomoto (榎本久美子), Rika Sakuma (坂間理香), and unknown makers.

That covers the first third of the book. I have included the kanji characters for reference in the future.
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ta0

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Re: Book review: Edo Tops by M. and M. Hiroi, 1993
« Reply #16 on: January 21, 2021, 11:08:25 AM »

It took 18 years until the 100th top was produced in July 1993, the last one been "Three Generations of Turtles".
I just realized that the turtles koma is the one on the top right corner of the Edo Top book cover, which is in fact from 1993.
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ta0

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Re: Book review: Edo Tops by M. and M. Hiroi, 1993
« Reply #17 on: December 03, 2021, 12:18:22 PM »

Another book with a Japanese koma collection:



This is the collection of 577 komas from Mitsui (Hiraku?) Nakamura that he donated to Toyohachi City Central Library. The book is from 2006. The photos much larger than in Mori's book.
It has 11 chapters, the first 10 dedicated to different komas according to one classification scheme:

00 - Flat plate, "circus", Komas. These are typically komas that spin at the end of a stick. But to me some should be in other chapters.





01 - Twist tops (finger and palm tops)





02 - Whistling and humming tops





03 - Whip tops (including some Sasebo, Testsu and even a beigoma!)





04 - Throwing tops





05 - String-pull started (including self-winding)





06 - Fortune telling





07 - Unusual (outside classification?)





08- Miniature





09 - Foreign

The last chapter talks a little about the history of tops and the collection, but the main section is the description of several classification schemes of tops by different people. This is paradoxical to me as I think the tops in the book are not well classified.  ::)
« Last Edit: December 03, 2021, 12:21:13 PM by ta0 »
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Jeremy McCreary

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Re: Book review: Edo Tops by M. and M. Hiroi, 1993
« Reply #18 on: December 03, 2021, 12:50:48 PM »

As we've discovered many times over, classifying tops is like herding cats. So a critical look at past schemes is certainly warranted. Too bad the author's own attempt fell flat.

I could really use a fortune-telling top. After all the remodeling cost overruns, Kathy and I agreed on Christmas cards only this year. Need to know soon if she's going to get me a present anyway.
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ta0

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Re: Book review: Edo Tops by M. and M. Hiroi, 1993
« Reply #19 on: February 26, 2024, 12:45:47 AM »

This is a wonderful book: "Koma Play, the secret of rotation", by Yoshiko Yagita and Yutaka Yamaguchi, 1979:



It might have been inspired by Gould's book, but with a Japanese angle, and it has more specifics about playing, turning and science. Yamaguchi graduated from the Department of Physics, Tokyo University of Science.
 
Has some nice color plates:





It seems to have good coverage of the history of komas:



It even explains the brush balancing method:



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Jeremy McCreary

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Re: Book review: Edo Tops by M. and M. Hiroi, 1993
« Reply #20 on: February 26, 2024, 01:09:04 AM »

This is a wonderful book: "Koma Play, the secret of rotation", by Yoshiko Yagita and Yutaka Yamaguchi, 1979:

Excellent! Where'd you get your copy?
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ta0

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Re: Book review: Edo Tops by M. and M. Hiroi, 1993
« Reply #21 on: February 26, 2024, 09:51:06 AM »

Excellent! Where'd you get your copy?
It was a gift from Taka.











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jim in paris

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Re: Book review: Edo Tops by M. and M. Hiroi, 1993
« Reply #22 on: February 28, 2024, 07:19:13 AM »

how can one get a copy ?

I d be much interested in buying one.🤗🥳


good day

jim
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