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The book information: Nobuo KUMAGAI, "The Japanese Tin Toys from 1880's to 2010's" 熊谷信夫「日本のブリキ玩具図鑑」Sogen-sha, Osaka, 2023. The parts referring to "foreign" are p. 27 and 78.
One good news is the passages show English words such as "Made in Japan" and "Foreign" and a photograph of tin toy with a "foreign" impression.
This morning I sent an email asking Mr. Kumagai if I can get a permission for line-to-line translation and post it to marble forums. He answered me right away that he would ask the publisher. Japan is in the beginning of Golden Week, national holidays where people would take 7-10 days vacation. The answer would take time.
I recently read an article which I understand to be a translated version of the original. (「大阪貿易館 1956年 晩秋号」"Osaka Trade Agency, 1956 Late Autumn issue" pp.29-30. Nov. 1956) The title is the same but in Japanese. The translator's name isn't fully given. We only know the initial letter of the surname "河".
If I add a few things to the summary, it would be the names of the factories. The second factory in Hong Kong was Yu Man Marble factory which started in June 1955, and the third one was World-Light Manufacturing Co. in August 1955. The largest Hong Kong Marble Glass Manufactory had 5 furnaces and 10 marble machines especially designed for marble produce, employing 120 full-time male workers and some part-time female workers for sorting and packing. The Japanese translation omits the part of clay marbles.
Not gotten around to more marbles with only a week left to do so. Not sure if I will as I haven’t been motivated.
I did work on the marble making setup and installed some pieces of felt on the arbor to hopefully limit the chatter the setup makes.
I also have looked over my mobile setup and am debating on bringing it. With the limited material and a new park I probably won’t do any more marble stuff until September.
I’ll still try to update the thread or start another thread for this up coming 2024 Rolley Hole. Since I’m no longer at standing stone I won’t be getting much for updates.
im still open to any Rolley Hole inquiries anyone may have. When working at other places and parks I’ve always kept up with Rolley Hole and working on marble related matters.
In the next couple weeks I will be teaching some hostages (or students depending on how you look at it) in the ways of Rolley Hole. We will be going to a park with little opportunities to run away to civilization. I have marbles, documents, scoresheets, dirt, and stories all ready to go.
There’s also newcomers who only know that at their state inservice there’s a man who will have marbles. Some are excited and some are afraid (as they should be).
Since my time in parks this has been the first time anyone can remember that Rolley Hole has gotten much attention let alone obsession.
As a job update, I haven’t heard back from either. At one when I gave my name, the park manager laughed and said she heard my name many times at inservices in regards to marbles.
Either way I always have at least 20 of the finest Tennessee marbles in my pockets when I interview. Just in case. Fine marbles hand picked for the occasion.
Just got a duplication from National Diet Library; a 1959 study of marbles in American market. It says Japan was able to provide marbles cheaper to the American market, compared to the factories which were located in the middle of the country. Transport of 100 kg marbles costed 6 dollars per 100 kilometers from WV to Los Angels, but 50 cents for the same distance from Kobe to North America.