Mystery of 100 Year Old Japanese Ledger Solved
After years of speculation, I now know part of the back story on this favorite artifact of mine. I purchased this antique Japanese book in Sand Diego ten years ago but all I knew was the approximate age and that is was probably a ledger for business or accounting.
My hair stylists mother who was born and still lives in Japan was visiting so I asked if she could translate the text for me. As it turns out the characters have changed since this was written so she was only able to understand bits and pieces. She verified that it was over a hundred years old and used as a business ledger for a department or general store. There were sales recorded for futons, kimono fabric yardage and other home items. She shared that individuals are only paid once per month in Japan so many stores offer charges or IOU’s. The small stamps that you see indicate when someone came back to pay their bill.
Every so often I use a piece from the ledger in my collage work. See the last photo below.
Hand bound
5" x 15" with hand-drawn characters in ink
Daily business transactions
Detail shot of stamps used for paid items
Marilyn Stevens, 9" x 9", Japanese ledger text and antique kimono fabric
