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A set of three massage rollers, or amma-ki, made from a partial section of a bamboo cylinder with beveled edges. These massage rollers was collected by Commodore Matthew C. Perry during his historic Japan Expedition (1853-1854) that opened Japan to the western world and established a lasting diplomatic, economic and cultural relationship between two Pacific Rim nations. Artifacts from Perry's Japan Expedition would become some of the founding objects of the Smithsonian Institution's anthropology collections.

From card: "same as 277, except that these were left natural color. and all three are present in complete form. Jan. 1969 one was loaned to Japan Society N.Y.C."

See Chang-Su Houchins. 1995. Artifacts of Diplomacy: Smithsonian Collections from Commodore Matthew Perry's Japan Expedition (1853-1854). Smithsonian Contributions to Anthropology, Number 37. P 96

Details

  • Title: Massage Rollers (Amma-ki)
  • Location: Japan, Asia
  • Physical Dimensions: H: 5cm L: 5.1cm
  • Type: Massage Roller
  • Rights: This image was obtained from the Smithsonian Institution. The image or its contents may be protected by international copyright laws. http://www.si.edu/termsofuse
  • External Link: View this object record in the Smithsonian Institution Collections Search Center
  • USNM Catalog Number(s): E278-0
  • Photo Credit: Donald E. Hurlbert, Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History
  • Field: Ethnology
  • Accession Date: 1859-03-09

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