Picked the up from ebay the other day and was intriqued by it.
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Last edited by coastie; 07-22-2007, 11:37 PM. -
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.Last edited by coastie; 07-22-2007, 11:37 PM. -
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This roughly translate the a 28 yr old male(?)by the name of Ishikawa. ?There is an address in Tokyo and the blood type is O.Last edited by coastie; 07-22-2007, 11:37 PM.Comment
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This is supposed to be a Pre-war issue boukuzukin. Name: Ishikawa, born 21 July 1928, blood type O (actually not the major blood type in Japan). Basically it is a padded head protector that was part of a household's civil defense kit. It has a face covering and would cover your head and shoulders. While not fireproof, it would cover your head and shoulders, and stop flying embers from igniting your hair. It was useful to help escape a burning house. During the War the Japanese were required to have a bucket of water outside their home. During an air raid they would dip the head protector in the water which would afford more protection.
I'ts a very nicely done piece, I don't have any doubts as to the authenticity of this seems un-likely someone would make up something and the price was right 9usd.Comment
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These protective quilted Bokuzukin have been worn in Japan for hundreds of years for the purpose of fire protection.
Old prints etc. will show various ones in use during the "flowers of Edo" or the fires that plagued the city so often.
They could be wetted down for additional protection.
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