The group above must have participated in a festival or celebration of some kind. The people in the group are wearing a variety of different outfits. The photo came from an estate in Texas, with no information about where it was taken or when. The back is blank. [Note: this post has been updated with location information provided by a reader. See the end of the post for details.]
At the center of the group is a young child. In the back, a man and woman are wearing medical masks! I’d guess the masks were part of their costumes, since no one else is wearing them:
I’ve divided the photo into two parts, which you can see below and in higher resolution in the image gallery which follows:
To see an image from the gallery below in high resolution, click on the image and then select “View full size” in the lower right of your screen:
Update #1: Fellow blogger Shayne Davidson asked her son Adam, who lives in Japan, if he could read the writing on the lapels of the women at the front of the group. He very kindly did! He wrote, in part:
The coats have “Hanamaki” written on them, and the little girl’s coat has a river name written on it that appears to be an actual river in Hanamaki in Iwate [Prefecture]. […]
It looks like a festival, but I don’t see any clear indication of which one exactly. Looking at the photos again, several of the adults have “fire brigade” or “civil defense brigade” written on their lapels. When I lived in Ninohe [also in Iwate], the local volunteer fire brigade always marched in the summer festival, so this looks to me like a group posing before or after such a parade. […] It’s particularly interesting that the fire brigade and civil defense brigade people are all women.
(You can read his other comments here.)
A big thank-you to Shayne and Adam for this very helpful information!
Update #2: Please see this next message from Adam for more information!
Festive, indeed! What costumes! It looks like wintertime or cold autumn with those thick clothes. Their facial expressions are very serious, perhaps it was a formal event of some sort? Happy Halloween!
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I hadn’t thought about the weather or the season, because it’s impossible to tell much from the background, but you may be right! Otherwise the headscarves would be very strange. Some of the outfits seem rather formal, while others seem humorous. I just had an epiphany: maybe the group is all women, even the ones who are dressed as men?
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Hey, I think you might be right! They could very well all be women! I am pretty sure their clothes are for colder weather – my relatives in China wore similar ones during winter.
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Happy Halloween to you Brad! I don’t have a clue about the picture, but it is a very nice one!
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Thank you, Michael! I don’t think we’ll learn anything about the photo unless a Japanese person stops by and offers some insight.
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Such an interesting picture!
It’s nice to see that the baby is sleeping soundly))
Happy Hallowing!
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Thank you! Yes, the baby looks very comfortable. Did any ghosts or goblins visit you last night? 😉
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They’re in self-isolation))
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That’s good, hahaha!!! 😆
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Makes me wonder about the current frequency that Japanese wear masks, and when did they start? 1918 flu epidemic? Pollution, flu, colds should probably be enough incentive for anyone to wear a mask if only for personal satisfaction. COVID and future pandemics should be getting us all in the mask wearing camp!
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Many Americans wore masks during the 1918 pandemic, so I assume the Japanese wore them as well. I think this photo was taken years later, but I don’t really know. The presence of the masks raises interesting questions, for sure. I honestly don’t understand the opposition to wearing them now. It seems selfish and vain.
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A very intriguing photo. The western-style hats, the medical masks and costumes made me think it might be a troupe of performers. I wonder if the ribbons with writing on them would give some clues. Or the interlocked diamond shapes in a circle on the child’s costume. The dog appears to be concentrating on the person with the drum. Another mystery! Happy Halloween!
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They could certainly be a troupe. I hope someone will read the writing on the ribbons for us! I love it when animals are included in group portraits. I didn’t notice the dog until I scanned the photo! This morning I had an epiphany, that the group might be all women, including the ones dressed as men. What do you think?
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A very distinct possibility!
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What a fascinating photograph! I’m thinking the occasion was some kind of performance?
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That was my thinking as well. A performance which included drumming!
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This has to be one of the strangest photos you’ve posted. I don’t even know where to begin. I do wonder about the symbolism here and there, such as on the dress of the young child front and center. There’s plenty that recalls Japan, but that looks more Native American to me. It’s just odd!
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Twitter isn’t usually much of a resource, but I just found this fascinating thread about Japan’s so-called mundane Halloween. Could this be part of the answer?
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Your first comment made me laugh! It’s an odd photo, indeed. I didn’t know about “Mundane Halloween.” The humor is so deadpan! I love it!
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I noticed that many of the people have a white scarf wrapped around their heads and tied under their chins. Reminds me of the old cartoons of people with toothaches, but with the knots on top. Might be related to the mask-wearing somehow. You know how nursery rhymes commemorate plague and such. Though these people don’t seem grim, perhaps they are commemorating a similar event.
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Interesting idea, Eilene, and very plausible!
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I love the clothes! The first thing I saw was the mask actually.
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The clothing is really interesting! So many things to look at. I didn’t even notice the masks until I scanned the photo! 🙂
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For a festive group, they do not look very festive!
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Their outfits are festive. 😉 Have you been to Japan, Tracey?
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Looks like a fun party!
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Maybe! 😀
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Hi Brad,
My son lives in Japan and is fluent in Japanese. I asked him to look at your photo. Here’s what he thinks:
That picture appears to have been taken in Iwate! The coats have “Hanamaki” written on them, and the little girl’s coat has a river name written on it that appears to be an actual river in Hanamaki in Iwate. One of the kids in the picture from this article is wearing a very similar costume as the girl in the pic you sent: https://hana-isan.com/Search/single_page/3/4149
It looks like a festival, but I don’t see any clear indication of which one exactly. Looking at the photos again, several of the adults have “fire brigade” or “civil defense brigade” written on their lapels. When I lived in Ninohe [also in Iwate], the local volunteer fire brigade always marched in the summer festival, so this looks to me like a group posing before or after such a parade. I don’t know what’s up with the odd-looking bespectacled people in the back row though. It’s particularly interesting that the fire brigade and civil defense brigade people are all women.
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Shayne, this is so helpful! Please thank your son for me! What a coincidence that the photo was taken in Iwate, near where he lived. I’ll edit the post to include the new information. As he said, it’s very interesting that the brigade members are all women. I’m thinking that the “men” in the group are actually women in costume, but I have no idea what that might mean. A women’s club? The men are somewhere else? In any case, we have a lot more information now, thanks to your son!
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Also he thinks the photo was taken during the Taishō era (1912-1926) because of the hodgepodge of western and Japanese style clothing the people are wearing.
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Very interesting!
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And he notes that you can see one of those little “warabocchi” rice pyramids in the background (to the left of the person with the umbrella), which means the photo was taken sometime in the fall.
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I didn’t know what that was! I just read that they’re left after the rice is harvested in September. Farmers leave them in the fields and burn them in the spring.
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Glad it was helpful! My son also said that the warabocchi are left in the fields for cows to eat following the harvesting of the actual rice.
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Hello Brad,
quite a quiz! My idea is that the two were having a runny nose and did not want to spread it to other people. After all, Asian people are very careful to their neighbors, more than we Europeans, for instance. Could it be??
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That could be! Especially because they lived through the pandemic of 1918-20. Another possibility is that this group had performed a play which was set during a pandemic. In the comments above yours, Shayne Davidson wrote that the women in the front are wearing ribbons that say “fire brigade” and “civil defense brigade.” Maybe they were playing the roles of “first responders” in the play.
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I think most of the people here are women. There are a couple who could be men, but I’d say the rest are women.
Also: Shayne Davidson had some really interesting information. A person really learns a lot from your posts – and from your readers’ comments, too!
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Shayne and her son saved the day! Thank you for your kind words, Ruth!
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It’s a wonderful photo! I think it must be very windy as the flag is blowing so much that you can’t tell what’s on it. The parasol looks like a work of art. In the front on either side of the small child there is an adult who is holding an oar/bat type of object. I wonder what those could be. A perfect mysterious treat for late October. Thank you, Brad! 🍂🎃🍁
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I wondered about those bats! They certainly do look like bats of some kind. The parasol looks like an accessory to the elaborate outfit of the woman holding it. Her outfit doesn’t go with any of the others. Very mysterious! Thank you for your kind words, Suzanne!
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I think your post is unintentionally timely! My quick research shows that apparently Japan has a tradition of costume play going back at least to the early 19th century. But like you I haven’t found why or when they donned costumes. The Japanese have recently embraced Halloween and seemingly merged it with their older custom. The result is what they call “mundane costume” depicting everyday people doing everyday activities. It’s called jimi halloween. So creative!
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Great research, Mary Jo! There was another comment earlier about “mundane Halloween.” I hadn’t heard of it! Linda Leinen (shoreacres) found a Twitter thread about it which is amusing (mundane Halloween.). I’d call it a deadpan sort of humor. As you say, very creative!
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Again, this is from my son who lives in Japan: “They’re not wearing costumes. A few of the outfits look a little “odd” at most, but the majority of the people are just wearing regular Japanese clothing. Old countryside ladies still wear those head wraps today.” He said the photo was likely of a group of people at a Hanamaki Festival: https://visitiwate.com/article/4770
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Thanks for this!
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I understand what he means, Shayne. Thank you! Maybe I can find some old Hanamaki Festival photos online.
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Actually he sent your blog link to “Hanamaki monogatari jiten” website, along with a message asking if they could provide any more information about your photo. So it’s become an international quest! He’ll translate any response and I’ll post it here.
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Wow, that’s fantastic! I hope some people there share their thoughts about the photo!
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I found Linda’s comment! Thank you ☺️
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I need to come visit this blog more often! Your content is amazing 🙂
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Thank you kindly! I look forward to exploring yours. 🙂
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Hi Brad,
My son Adam got more information on your photo. Below is the message I got from him.
Here’s my quick translation of the email that I got from a Mr./Mrs. Miura (gender unspecified… we can say Miura-san) from the Hanamaki Story Dictionary website:
Certainly, given that several people in the front row have “Hanamaki town” written on their hanten [type of Japanese coat], I think this is a photo connected to Hanamaki. The name keibōdan* [civil defense unit] that is also written on some of the hanten was used between April of 1939 and May of 1947, so I think this photo was probably taken sometime around then. Also, “9th branch” and “8th branch” are written [on the hanten], and these numbers indicate that these hanten are from the modern Yokkamachi area of Hanamaki city.
Also, it appears that the people pictured are wearing costumes, and Showa-era Hanamaki evidently had a wide range of festivals and events in which costume parades and costume contests were carried out. Because of this, we can assume that these were costumes for one of those events or festivals from that time. Additionally, upon showing this photo to some other Hanamaki folks and asking their opinions, several people said that this may be a photo from the himatsuri (hibusematsuri). The himatsuri is a festival praying for there to be no fires or fire disasters. In the record of a himatsuri from a different part of the city, it was written that costumed locals assembled at the local shrine, and among these were women wearing fire brigade hanten.
At the present moment, this is what I’ve been able to conjecture about the photo, and there are still some uncertainties in this reply, but I’m continuing to ask for information from people knowledgeable about Hanamaki’s past. I think it may take a little time, but if I get some more details I will contact you again.
* “keibōdan” is kind of an old-school word/title for this type of group
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So obviously there’s a lot going on in this photo! And even the people who currently live in that area have trouble deciphering all of it, but we may get more info from them.
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So interesting! I’m particularly intrigued by the role of women in the himatsuri. I hope Adam is finding this interesting as well. Adam–thank you so much for all the translating!
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Fantastic photo and interesting description. Thanks for posting and thanks for all the research.
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Thank you, Bruce! I can’t take credit for any of the research, but it sure is an interesting photo.
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