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| Posted: Thu Apr 17th, 2008 01:54 am |
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1st Post |
papoon
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Managed to nab a copy of the Keishobou Tarot, a delightfully quirky 1973 deck from Japan that combines traditional Marseilles-style majors and courts with RWS-inspired illustrations on the ace through 10 of each suit - but rendered in Marseilles woodcut style. (It's listed at TG as "Secret Tarot Cards," but I'm not sure why, as the box and book simply have "Tarot" in English and Japanese and the name Isao Nakai, who is apparently the author of the book.)
I won't actually get it for a few weeks (these pictures are from the seller). I'll post a few more of the minors once it arrives.
Pretty darn amusing.
Cards:
The package and accompanying book:
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| Posted: Thu Apr 17th, 2008 08:53 am |
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Vgimlet
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I love this deck, and I don't know why. 
It's been on my wanted list for awhile - lucky you!
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| Posted: Thu Apr 17th, 2008 11:43 am |
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gregory
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I was lucky enough to manage to trade for this last year. I LOVE it !
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| Posted: Sat Jun 7th, 2008 05:51 am |
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papoon
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The deck finally arrived from Japan and it's rather more delightful in person than was obvious from the photos.
While waiting, I did a bit more research on it and discovered that it is reportedly the very first commercial tarot deck of original design ever published in Japan (although as early as the '60s there had been a few Japanese editions of western decks). Keishobou is the name of the publishing company. The artist is Gaichi Muramatsu and the accompanying book is by Isao (or Kaoru - I've found two conflicting references) Nakai. The form factor is the typical shelf box holding a book and internal box for the cards that has become the most common presentation style for commercial Japanese decks.
Here are a few of the minors. Note that while they are definitely inspired by the RWS images, in some cases it's almost as if the artist has "zoomed in" and focused on only a part of the original RWS versions. In others, some figures face the opposite direction of their RWS equivalents:
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| Posted: Wed Jun 11th, 2008 03:31 pm |
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5th Post |
Hawkeye
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This tarot and book kit is sold on approx.150US$ at used book shops. Rare but not ultimate Rare.
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| Posted: Thu Aug 18th, 2011 01:44 am |
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6th Post |
Sumada
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Finally got myself one of these delightful Keishobou decks, and I have been greatly enjoying the synthesis of TdM & PC Smith imagery. I think I may have even found a new favourite deck!
So I got out some relevant decks to compare all the cards, but when I came to the 4 of Swords, behold! a totally different image; a non PC Smith inspired picture, but there was still something familiar about it...
Why it was that Gaichi Muramatsu felt the need to depict that one single minor card differently we may never know, but do you think it possible he might have seen the Sheridan Douglas Tarot? A deck that also shows some PC Smith influence, but with a few very unique minors - such as the 4 of Swords. (see below)
Does anyone here know of any other decks that depict the 4 of Swords as two Knights playing chess?
Attached Image (viewed 158 times):
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| Posted: Thu Aug 18th, 2011 08:32 am |
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7th Post |
gregory
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WOW! I wish I were not about to be parted from my collection for a while - that's FASCINATING !
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| Posted: Thu Aug 18th, 2011 06:39 pm |
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8th Post |
Chronata
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oh no! I really wish I had never ever seen this deck...because now I really really have to have it.
Damn you all!
(but in a good way!)
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| Posted: Sat Sep 24th, 2011 04:36 am |
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9th Post |
lulukat
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Sumada wrote:
Finally got myself one of these delightful Keishobou decks, and I have been greatly enjoying the synthesis of TdM & PC Smith imagery. I think I may have even found a new favourite deck!
So I got out some relevant decks to compare all the cards, but when I came to the 4 of Swords, behold! a totally different image; a non PC Smith inspired picture, but there was still something familiar about it...
Why it was that Gaichi Muramatsu felt the need to depict that one single minor card differently we may never know, but do you think it possible he might have seen the Sheridan Douglas Tarot? A deck that also shows some PC Smith influence, but with a few very unique minors - such as the 4 of Swords. (see below)
Does anyone here know of any other decks that depict the 4 of Swords as two Knights playing chess?
Interesting observation! The images on the Keishobou are tightly cropped overall, glad you have noticed this.
Makes me wonder where Muramatsu got his inspiration from, both publications came out almost at the same time.
The idea of the Chess playing knight may have been inspired by the Seventh Seal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=anvRFJFUnRE'
The context of this game of chess could be stretched to the meaning of the card, as this chess game between the Knight and Death occurs after a fight.
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| Posted: Sat Sep 24th, 2011 02:16 pm |
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10th Post |
gregory
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Death playing chess with man is an old old concept. As in we all play chess with death, and we all lose. ETA: The idea also shows up in the Rubaiyat. (Fitzgerald.)
We are but chessmen, destined, it is plain,
That great chess-player, Heaven, to entertain;
It moves us on life's chess-board to and fro,
And then in death's dark box shuts up again.
There's a 15th century painting of death playing chess against a man in a church in Sweden, which I think Bergman said inspired him. I
Signed: Bergman fan and death is my favourite card too so it is (am allusion to the fact that Monty Python spoofed the Bergman reference...)Last edited on Sat Sep 24th, 2011 02:19 pm by gregory
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| Posted: Thu Dec 22nd, 2011 10:46 am |
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11th Post |
Vgimlet
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My wonderful husband got me this deck for my birthday, and it is quite lovely. I have been keeping an eye out for this deck for quite some time, so it was a very happy surprise.  
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