The Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute (WMI) was formed by a voluntary community group in 1863, within six years of Warrnambool’s beginnings, and its Reading Room opened in 1854. The WMI operated until 1963, at which time it was one of the oldest Mechanics’ Institutes in Victoria. Mechanics’ Institutes offered important services to the public including libraries, reading rooms and places to display and store collections of all sorts such as curiosities and local historical relics. In 1886 a Museum and Fine Arts Gallery were added to the WMI and by the beginning of the 20th century there was also a billiards room and a School of Art. By this time all Mechanics’ Institutes in country Victoria had museums attached. Over the years the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute Library was also known as the Warrnambool Public Library the Warrnambool Library and the Free Library. Early funding from the government was for the “Free Library”. The inscription in a book “Science of Man” was for the “Warrnambool Public Library”, donated by Joseph Archibald in 1899. Another inscription in the book “Catalogue of Plants Under Cultivation in the Melbourne Botanic Gardens 1 & 2, 1883” was presented to the “Warrnambool Library” and signed by the author W.R. Guilfoyle. In 1903 the Warrnambool Public Library decided to add a Juvenile Department to library and stock it with hundreds of books suitable for youth. In 1905 the Public Library committee decided to update the collection of books and added 100 new novels plus arrangements for the latest novels to be included as soon as they were available in Victoria. In July 1911 the Warrnambool Council took over the management of the Public Library, Art Gallery, Museum and Mechanics’ Institute and planned to double the size of the then-current building. In 1953, when Mr. R. Pattison was Public Librarian, the Warrnambool Public Library’s senior section 10,000 of the 13,000 books were fiction. The children’s section offered an additional 3,400 books. The library had the equivalent of one book per head of population and served around 33 percent of the reading population. The collection of books was made up of around 60 percent reference and 40 percent fiction. The library was lending 400 books per day. In 1963 the Warrnambool City Council allocated the site of the Mechanics’ Institute building, which included the Public Library, Museum and Art Gallery, for the new Municipal Offices and the Collections were dispersed until 1971. The Warrnambool Library took over the Mechanics’ Institute Library’s holdings on behalf of the Warrnambool City Council. Since the closure of the Warrnambool Mechanics’ Institute the exact location and composition of the original WMI books and items has become unclear. Other materials have been added to the collection, including items from Terang MI, Warrnambool Court House and Customs House. Many of the books have been identified as the Pattison Collection, named after the Librarian who catalogued and numbered the books during his time as Warrnambool Public Librarian in the time before the Mechanics’ Institute closed. It seems that when Warrnambool became part of the Corangamite Regional Library some of the books and materials went to its head office in Colac and then back to Warrnambool where they were stored at the Art Gallery for quite some time. Some then went to the Warrnambool Historical Society, some stayed at the Art Gallery and some were moved to Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village. The various stamps and labels on the books held at Flagstaff Hill show the variety of the collection’s distribution and origin. The books in the collection at Flagstaff Hill Maritime Village date from the 1850’s to the late 1950’s and include rare and valuable volumes. Many of the books are part of the “Pattison Collection” after the Warrnambool’s Public Librarian, Mr. R. Pattison. Slaves of the Samurai Author: W S Kent Hughes An Australian Odyssey, which gives an account of the Life and Thoughts of a slave of the Samurai, during his three years and seven months as a Prissioner of War in the hands of the Japanese. Publisher: Geoffery Cumberlege, Oxford University Press Date: 1946Label on spine cover with typed text R.H. 821-914 HUG Pastedown front endpaper has sticker from Warrnambool Public Library with the date 1st Jan, 1947 warrnambool, shipwrecked-coast, flagstaff-hill, flagstaff-hill-maritime-museum, maritime-museum, shipwreck-coast, flagstaff-hill-maritime-village, shipwrecked-artefact, great ocean road, book, warrnambool library, warrnambool mechanics’ institute, mechanics’ institute library, victorian library board, warrnambool books and records, warrnambool children’s library, warrnambool public library, slaves of the samurai, slaves of the samurai, w s kent hughes

It is likely this item was received from the estate of John 'Jack' Courier. Courier left a bequest to the College consisting of a significant number of artworks by himself and others.Abstract print in dark colours (black, blue, brown) on paper, depicting a masked figure. Handwritten inscription at bottom of artwork reads '2/16 J. Courier'. The print has been mounted on card and installed in a wooden frame. Handwritten inscription on back of artwork reads 'Title SAMURAI/Artist J. COURIER/368 TOORAK RD/STH YARRA/Price $18'. There are fourteen visible mounting nails at the back of the work. A wire is attached across the top section of the back of the work for hanging.

p.250.non-fictionThe authors escape from Changi jail and their subsequent recaapture and ill treatment. world war 1939 – 1945 - prisons and prisoners – japanese, changi jail

Edo PeriodColoured woodblock printactor

Book

Japanese Samurai swordweapon, ww2, army

Japanese Samurai sword and scabard.ww2, army

Japanese Samurai Sword and Scabbardweapon, ww1

Japanese samurai sword with scabbard

A minature, ornamental Samurai helmet made of cast iron and brass, gifted to the Port of Melbourne Authority. The helmet has wing-like projections on the front, known as Fukigaeshi, and a prominent gold plated crest, mounted on the front centre. Red and gold embellishments can also be seen around the bottom edge of the piece and on the dragons adorning the Fukigaeshi. There are six small holes around the centre of the helmet. Research shows that there may have originally been decorative fabric and tassels embellishing the piece which would have been threaded through these holes and then looped around the crest.ornament, samurai, japan

Japanese Officers Samurai Sword broken blade and Scabbardweapon, ww2

This sword was collected by Norman Ladner in New Britain during WW11. It was returned to Australia in 1946. Lorraine Joiner (Norman Ladner's daughter) gave the sword to Orbost Police in 2010.Katana were one of the traditionally made Japanese swords that were worn by the samurai class of feudal Japan, also commonly referred to as a "samurai sword.A Japanese Army Samurai sword from WW11. It has a Katana style blade - a curved, slender, single-edged blade with a circular or squared guard and long grip to accommodate two hands.sword ww11 katana samurai japanesse-army weapon

This is believed to be a period "reproduction" most likely made from a JEEP vehicle spring by Australian soldiers to sell as a souvenir. US soldiers were prime targets for this type of deception as they were known to pay a premium for "Japanese" samurai swords.Steel blade and wooden handleNone

Swords were a common item of equipment of Japanese officers and soldiers in WWII. Representative of souvenirs brought back following the end of WWII.Japanese Samuari Sword with 70mm hand guard with wooden handle wrapped with red and white and brown tape - blade length 700mm. Common souvenir brought back by returning servicemen from the Southwest Pacific area following the Japanese surrender.japan, samurai, sword, wwii, world war two

This tabard is one of a small number that were produced/woven by Japanese master weaver Jun Tomita during the period that he was resident artisan at the Jam Factory in Adelaide. The tabard incorporates Ikat/Kasuri woven central panels. Tomita was born in 1951 in Toyama prefecture, and is based in Kyoto, the textile centre of Japan. The technique he uses kasuri (the Japanese term for ikat) is selectively pre-dying yarns before weaving to create pattern. The other decorative features of this garment are based on Japanese family crest designs (kamon). The pointed shoulders of this garment are reminiscent of the stiffened shoulders of kataginu, the upper part of the kamishimo ensemble that was formal wear for samurai men. Tomita was at the Jam factory from 1976-78 and he has works in numerous public collections, including: - Stanthorpe Art Museum, Art Gallery of South Australia / Australia - Oslo National Gallery / Norway - National Museum of Israel / Israel - Stedelik Museum, Museum of Rotterdam / The Netherlands - Denver Art Museum, St. Louis Art Museum, Long House Foundation - Cooper-Hewitt Museum of Art/USA - Victoria and Albert Museum, UK - Toyama Prefectural Museum of Art, Japan The donor purchased this tabard from an exhibition held at Wool House in Parkville Victoria, which was sponsored by the Australian Wool Board to promote the use of Australian Wool in textiles and fashion at that time, around April/May in 1977. At that time (1976-1977) the donor owned and run a retail/display shop for craft products such as ceramics, artworks and jewellery. The donor subsequently retained this in storage with some other items since the business closed.Double sided reversible tabard featuring woven centrals panels. One side is navy blue with white and blue detail panels, one side is grey with green, brown and cream central panel detail.textile, tabard, japan, art, clothing, weaving, fashion, design, ikat, kasuri

A DECK GALLERY FOR JAPANESE PRINTS. A unique exhibition of Japanese Prints was opened yesterday on Japanese ship Kamo Maru.These pictures are the property of the captain of the Kamo Maru Captain T. Takahata, and are displayed in a specially arranged gallery on the deck of the ship now berthed at No. 13 Victoria Dock. A picture on board yesterday after noon. (Inset) - One of many fine works by Utaguard Toyokuni who died in 1825. Photographer notations on slide: "B21" Published: 23 February 1934 Published title: A DECK GALLERY FOR JAPANESE PRINTS. Published caption: A unique exhibition of Japanese Prints was opened yesterday on Japanese ship Kamo Maru.These pictures are the property of the captain of the Kamo Maru Captain T. Takahata, and are displayed in a specially arranged gallery on the deck of the ship now berthed at No. 13 Victoria Dock. A picture on board yesterday after noon. (Inset) - One of many fine works by Utaguard Toyokuni who died in 1825. Trove article identifier: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article203376863 Description: Japanese woodblock prints, probably belonging to Captain Takahata of the Japanese passenger and cargo ship Kamo Maru, who displayed his Japanese Woodblock prints in a special on-board gallery when it visited Melbourne during 1933 and 1934. Research by project volunteer, Louise McKenzie: Plate MCK025 shows a number of Japanese woodblock prints. Three are of traditional “samurai” or Kabuki-style Japanese men in traditional dress and hairstyle; one is a composite of four different prints: two men and two women (samurai/geisha) in traditional dress. There are also several prints appearing to depict traditional scenes of indoor and outdoor life in Japan in the Edo period. An article appeared in The Age in February 1934, covering the visit to Melbourne of Captain T Takahata on the Japanese ship the Kamo Maru. An accompanying photo shows several women, in coats and hats, and a man, closely inspecting a gallery hang of Japanese woodblocks. Inset is a single image of a Kabuki theatre performer, a detail from the full photograph as shown in our slide. This work is attributed to Utagawa Toyokuni (1769-1823), who was mostly known for his prints relating to kabuki theatre and the actors’ dramatic postures. Japanese Kabuki theatre features heavily stylised performances, glamorous, highly decorated costumes and elaborate make-up worn by its performers. It was particularly popular in the Edo period (1615-1868), as was woodblock printing, after its earlier introduction from China around 150 years earlier. Woodblock printing in Japan is a technique best known for its use in the ukiyo-e artistic genre of single sheet images (although books were also created) which flourished from the 17th through 19th centuries. Its artists produced woodblock prints and paintings of such subjects as female beauties; kabuki actors and sumo wrestlers; scenes from history and folk tales; travel scenes and landscapes; flora and fauna, and erotica. The term ukiyo-e translates as 'picture[s] of the floating world'. This expression could be confusingly translated as meaning ‘a world of sorrow and grief’, 'erotic’ or ‘stylish’, and later came to describe the hedonistic spirit of the lower classes of the 17th century. Asai Ryōi celebrated this spirit in the novel Ukiyo Monogatari (Tales of the Floating World), c. 1661: “[L]iving only for the moment, savouring the moon, the snow, the cherry blossoms, and the maple leaves, singing songs, drinking sake, and diverting oneself just in floating, unconcerned by the prospect of imminent poverty, buoyant and carefree, like a gourd carried along with the river current: this is what we call ukiyo.” (Wikipedia: 'Ukiyo-e') Mass production of woodblocks during the Edo period was due to high literacy rates: 100% for samurai and 50-60% for farmers. Consequently, cheaper books were produced in large numbers. In the 18th century, Suzuki Harunobu established the technique of multicolor woodblock printing called nishiki-e and greatly developed Japanese woodblock printing culture such as ukiyo-e. Ukiyo-e influenced European Japonisme and Impressionism. Yoshitoshi was called the last great ukiyo-e master, and his cruel depictions and fantastic expressions influenced later Japanese literature and anime. However today the best known exponents from the period are probably Hokusai and Hiroshige.The price of one ukiyo-e at that time was about 20 mon, and the price of a bowl of soba noodles was 16 mon, so the price of one ukiyo-e was several hundred yen to 1000 yen in today's currency. 'Wikipedia: Ukiyo-e' states: “Japanese art, and particularly ukiyo-e prints, came to influence Western art from the time of the early Impressionists. Early painter-collectors incorporated Japanese themes and compositional techniques into their works as early as the 1860s: the patterned wallpapers and rugs in Manet's paintings were inspired by the patterned kimono found in ukiyo-e pictures, and Whistler focused his attention on ephemeral elements of nature as in ukiyo-e landscapes. Van Gogh was an avid collector, and painted copies in oil of prints by Hiroshige and Eisen. Degas and Cassatt depicted fleeting, everyday moments in Japanese-influenced compositions and perspectives. ukiyo-e's flat perspective and unmodulated colours were a particular influence on graphic designers and poster makers. Toulouse-Lautrec's lithographs displayed his interest not only in ukiyo-e's flat colours and outlined forms, but also in their subject matter: performers and prostitutes. He signed much of this work with his initials in a circle, imitating the seals on Japanese prints. Other artists of the time who drew influence from ukiyo-e include Monet, La Farge, Gauguin, and Les Nabis members such as Bonnard and Vuillard. French composer Claude Debussy drew inspiration for his music from the prints of Hokusai and Hiroshige, most prominently in La mer (1905). Imagist poets such as Amy Lowell and Ezra Pound found inspiration in ukiyo-e prints; Lowell published a book of poetry called Pictures of the Floating World (1919) on oriental themes or in an oriental style.” An awareness of and interest in this style of art seems to have been well established by the time Captain Takahata brought his sailing gallery to Australia in the 1930s. The Age article “Colour Prints from Japan” on 22 February 1934 p. 13, consists predominantly of a sophisticated curatorial assessment of the woodblock style and detailed artist and style information, which is remarkable for its in-depth analysis. The writer even draws attention to the existence of female woodprint artists. It has been difficult to verify those noted in this article, but worth drawing attention to the work produced by the daughter of Hokusai, Katsushika Oi, which is documented and has gained attention within Japan and elsewhere. Captain Takahata may have been quite the ambassador: adverts in Australian quarterly magazine, The Home, promoted regular cruises out of Melbourne and Sydney via Queensland, Thursday Island, Phillippines and Hong Kong to Japan at a cost of £90 for a round trip via Yokohama.(The Home, 1 August 1936, pages 76 and 79). It is reported in one of the many newspapers articles printed during 1933/1934 about Captain Takahata and his collection, that he inherited it, and it was not for sale even at an offered £10,000. However, one article makes mention of him scouring antique shops in rural Japan to add to the collection! And even enlisting the help of his children in the hunt. The collection totalled 11,000 prints and apparently 1,500 travelled with him when he sailed. These numbers do differ between reports, but his collection was undoubtedly large, and Captain Takahata enjoyed lecturing on the subject, explaining that each print was handmade. It took painstaking work over months to create the delicate colour tones, with a block being created for each colour used, and transferred onto specially prepared paper. Many of the designs are symbolic, and even those representing figures and scenes have a narrative basis, or represent traditional incidents in the life and history of Japan. (See Japanese Prints, The Sydney Morning Herald, 14 July 1934). In Brisbane in October 1934, The Courier Mail noted that Captain Takahata, now on the Yusen Kaisha steamer ‘Atsuta Mam’ (a sister ship to Kamo Maru) arrived with another 100 prints in his possession, and that he spent his spare time mounting and cataloguing his treasures. One of his new additions dated from 1787 and Captain Takahata “said that it was the only woodcut to depict eyelashes, and with the aid of a magnifying glass, he showed the extremely fine lines around the eyes of the three Japanese ladies on the print.” References: COLOR PRINTS FROM JAPAN. (1934, February 22). The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), p. 13. Retrieved February 29, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article20338088 A DECK GALLERY FOR JAPANESE PRINTS. (1934, February 23). The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), p. 11. Retrieved February 29, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article203376863 JAPANESE WOOD-CUTS. (1934, July 14). Daily Commercial News and Shipping List (Sydney, NSW : 1891 - 1954), p. 4. Retrieved February 29, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article161150580 JAPANESE PRINTS. (1934, July 14). The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), p. 12. Retrieved February 29, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article28024038 RARE WOOD-PRINTS FROM JAPAN (1934, July 16). The Herald (Melbourne, Vic. : 1861 - 1954), p. 20. Retrieved March 2, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article243171208 JAPANESE WOODPRINTS. (1934, July 14). The Sydney Morning Herald (NSW : 1842 - 1954), p. 16. Retrieved March 2, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article28023902 11,000 RARE WOODCUTS (1934, October 11). The Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1933 - 1954), p. 18. Retrieved March 2, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article35647690 A DECK GALLERY FOR JAPANESE PRINTS. (1934, February 23). The Age (Melbourne, Vic. : 1854 - 1954), p. 11. Retrieved March 2, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article203376863 RARE JAPANESE PRINTS (1934, July 11). The Courier-Mail (Brisbane, Qld. : 1933 - 1954), p. 10. Retrieved March 2, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article36723139 Wikipedia: 'Ukiyo-e', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ukiyo-e Wikipedia: 'Woodblock printing in Japan', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Woodblock_printing_in_Japan Wikipedia: 'Utagawa Toyokuni', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Utagawa_Toyokuni Wikipedia: 'Kabuki', https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabuki 'Digital Humanities and Japanese History',https://dh.japanese-history.org/2020-spring-women-in-japanese-history/japanese-women-artists-of-the-edo-period/ '25 Famous Painters in Japanese Art', https://dh.japanese-history.org/2020-spring-women-in-japanese-history/japanese-women-artists-of-the-edo-period/ 'Nyk Kamo Maru', https://blog.shipwatcher.com/index.php/nyk-kamo-maru/ The Home : an Australian quarterly Retrieved March 4, 2024, from http://nla.gov.au/nla.obj-386036987 : Volume 17, No. 8, 1 August 1936.Photographer notations on slide: "B21".japan, prints, ships, art

Ill, p.330.non-fictionReg Chard endured hell as an 18-year-old Australian soldier who fought in 1942 on the infamous Kokoda Trail in World War II. Ironically, Kokoda rescued Reg decades later when he decided to take his own life. After losing Betty, his wife of 66 years, the grief-stricken great-grandfather lost the will to live. But he found new purpose through educating young people, giving guided tours of Sydney's Kokoda Track Memorial Walkway. On these tours, Reg relives Kokoda every day. He sees an image on the wall of a soldier - a comrade - who succumbed to disease weeks after the photograph was taken. He feels his heart beating as his patrol chases down Japanese troops who had mutilated women in a jungle clearing. He hears the war cry of a samurai sword-wielding officer charging towards him. And he tells these stories along the walkway, preserving the memory of those who never came home. As one of the last surviving diggers of Kokoda, Reg Chard has become a custodian of its legacy.world war 1939 – 1945 – campaigns – kokoda, campaigns - south west pacific theatre