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Tops and Things

This is my new page on Tops and Things

Last update,12/20/01

Here's a front and back picture of a drum I just made. It's about 18" in diameter. 1/20/01

One thing I like about playing music at Into The Woods Bookshop is that you meet lots of interesting people from around the world. It was Yuzo Toya, who first introduced me to Brian Lemin's web page. Now he sent these tops (and the chicken) to Connie at the Bookshop from his home in Japan.

The chicken is really nifty. The tail feathers were made by splitting thin slivers up the body of the chicken and curling then. The splits are amazingly thin and uniform. The wing feathers are made of heavey splits.

Yuzo sent me some information on the carving. {Sasano Ittobori,that™fs how you would pronounce the carving technique™c)} The carving is a production of the 5th and 6th generation of carvers from the Toda Family.

The tiny top spins great. I haven't been brave enough to spin the big pretty top yet. I think I'll turn a plain top to practice on.

I think I'll just put here what Yuzo sent.

"The ™very tiny spinning top™f was made by another carver in the brochure that I attached to this mail. This family makes KOKESHI dolls, and other interesting spinning tops in the picture that I sent to Connie. The contacting information is written in Japanese, so I translated below. I don™ft know if they can speak English. It looks like the carvers at this shop are also 5th and 6th generation, but this shop makes Kokeshi." Kijiya Bussan (name of the store) Shirafu Onsen, Yonezawa-shi, Yamagata-ken, 992-14 Japan

I have copies of the brochures. Anyone interested,email me and I'll pass them on.

I've made some of the tiny tops. Great fun!

Yuzo also sent this picture of a great pile of fantastic toys. I'm envious.

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