Comfort Bag

[Geoff Ward]

Beautiful artwork on that bag! thanks for posting!

Regards,Geoff

[Paul G]

Here is the other bag.

PG-

[ghp95134]

I'm guessing the kanji are read from right to left:
野中
Nonaka

If from the other direction:
中野
Nakano

[Paul G]

Thanks Guy! , These are the two bags you translated for me, and they are both named to the same soldier.

PG-

[RussM]

Enjoying this thread!

Here's one of mine which appears unused.

[Nick Komiya]

American Origins of the Comfort Bag

I'm sure you would all be blown away to learn that all the comfort bags here actually have origins in the USA, not in Japan, and that it was an American woman by the name of Ella Hoover Thatcher that introduced this practice to Japan, during the Russo-Japanese War.

She was a leader in the WCTU (Women's Christian Temperance Union) and the instigator of the practice of Comfort Bags for US troops, during the Spanish American War. She further influenced their sister union in Japan to take similar action.

This was taken up on the Japan side by Fukiko Shimizu and Kajiko Yajima, who came up with the Japanese name of "Imon-bukuro", which was merely a direct translation of the English, "Comfort Bag".

On 15th March 1904, the first batch of a 100 pcs of these comfort bags were delivered by them (矯風会 Kyofuhkai) to the office of the Sasebo Naval Base Commander and that was how this tradition started.

[lonewolf523]

Here is the comfort bag that I received just a few weeks back. Everything was in the bag, which doesn't mean it all came with the bag! If you can help ID some of the items that would be great. I think the collar tabs are for a lieutenant but not sure. The medal I have no idea. Thanks for helping.

[Nick Komiya]

Yes, the tab is for a Lt. 2nd Class and the name sewn into the cloth says Amai. The medal is a postwar membership badge to a Management Skills Academy, not something that has any collector value, despite looking nice.

[ghp95134]

Well, not a comfort bag .... but related to them.

I saw a tenugui about sending comfort bags to servicemen; I cannot make out all the words, but something like:

純情を
＊めた慰問の
袋はや ＊て
わたしの思ひを
ともにあけ

Pure heart/innocence
...＊＊ comfort
bag is ＊＊
my thoughts
together open

Something like "With pure heart [? I made ?] this comfort bag, open it together with my thoughts."

[I am NOT a translator ... so my understanding will have errors, however the sentiment will be similar to what is written on the tenugui.]



-- Guy