An Unusual Namban Leather Wallet

Period: 1800-1899

Medium: Leather, Metal

Dimension: 10.5 x 18 cm (4¹/₈ x 7¹/₈ inches)

Literature: Namban wallets are not unusual of course, but to find an example such as this one with embossed surfaces definitely is. It may be a wallet commemorating the first train and railway in Japan, in 1872, between Shimbashi (Tokyo) and Sakuragichō. The symbols include: Dutch Trader Boots, a Book, a Japanese Compass, Ships, a Hand (or Glove), a Winged Cherub, a Rickshaw, a Globe, a Sabre and Musket, Flags, Trumpets, a Horse, a Bowler Hat, Rifles, Swords, an Umbrella. The main symbol is the locomotive emerging from a tunnel, depicted across the top of the wallet, underneath the inner flap.