Collecting 1000 stitches

[Papa Nambu]

Here's a postcard I just bought that shows girls making senninbari (Thousand stitch belts), asking passing women to add a stitch to the belt. This would be done by the man's mother, sister, or wife if he was married. The 2 girls in the middle are wearing school uniforms so they are probably making belts for their brothers. Stitches from a woman born in the Year of the Tiger were considered extra lucky for this purpose, since Tigers can roam far from home and return safely. So these ladies could add 12 stitches, or a stitch for each year of her age.

[Nick Komiya]

School kids also had to fill in the comfort bags at school and they would put in letters and 1000 stitch belts, too. One of my friends who wrote such a letter for a comfort bag said he got a personal visit from a thankful soldier after the war

[Nick Komiya]

Here you can see girls sewing the belts as a school assignment, etc.

[Nick Komiya]

A tiger in the making

[Nick Komiya]

Ambushing visitors to the post

[Nick Komiya]

Here are 2 Senninbari songs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PN5EbJi1Zik
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bR79XN0s8Qw

[MikeB]

Collecting 1000 stitches

One of Nick's photos in post #4 shows a good luck coin sewn to the belt. The coins were normally in 5 and 10 sen denominations. You see them sewn inside the belt and outside at times. Not every belt had a coin sewn to it, while some of them may have had dozens incorporated into them. Nice photos.....MikeB

[jules61]

Sennibari components?

Hi Nick!
I buy these things for identify from where the holder come from!
Pick up in Iwo Jima from an U.S. Marine.
These are Sennibari components?
If are not.....what they are?
My Best!
Gian.

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[jules61]

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[jules61]

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[GeorgeP]

Neat group! Looks like you have a nice dog tag that does indeed point to Iwo Jima:
The code 2716 points to the 57th Fortress Infantry Unit based on Chichijima. This unit most likely was transferred to Iwo Jima to bolster the island's defence. I say this due to having paperwork in my collection that connects the 66th Fortress Infantry Unit to a defence unit on Iwo Jima as well. It is also great to see how tags were struck using different metals. The other items look to be data plates pried from equipment, a Navy related wooden tag and I believe a wooden omamori. The wooden omamori has the possibility of being sewn into 1000 stitch belts for added luck, but I do not believe anything else in your group could be directly connected to senninbari. Thanks for sharing!

Tom

[jules61]

Hi Tom!
Thus...you confirm that these Dod-Tag belong to one soldier that was on the defence of Iwo Jima?
Gian.

[jules61]

Because, from the same lot, I have accuired also other nice things that belongs to these S.gt J.G. Cortez U.S. Marine that fight in the battle of Iwo Jima!
Gian.
Look here!

[jules61]

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[GeorgeP]

Nice items! You know, I am not sure if they actually call wooden tag good luck charms omamori. I am nearly certain that the small wooden tag belongs within the good luck charm realm, but I do not know by what name it would be known as in Japanese. Again, great stuff!


Tom