Rokushima in current romanization. Known in Europe as Imperial Asahi Troupe. Almost certainly the Fukushima Troupe renamed to avoid “Fuk” pronunciation. Fuku means “luck” in Japanese, so Lukushima would have been a play on words.
2 gentlemen, a lady and a mite of a boy (1903), 5 in 1906. Jugglers, equilibrists, acrobats, rope walking. Little lady Otora-san. Seem to be two troupes performing in Britain and Australia simultaneously October 1905- 1906
1901 February – in Britain
1901 April census
Tora Fukushima, married, female, 22, Tsuneo male, 1 month old, born in London, Sussy, female, 3 years old, born in France. Boarding in Soho, London.
Seishu Watanabe, 34, single male, Kikuzo Satto, 21, single male, Yesuki Fukushima, 17, single male, Tatsu Fukushima, 21, single female, Soichi Fukushima 13, male, Shikazo Sano, 33, single male all music hall artistes. Boarding in West Hartlepool.
1903 February – top spinners, tumblers and juggler in Brighton
1903 March – June tour Britain
1903 March – “The first appearance in Aberdeen of the great Lukushima Japanese troupe is an event in itself which ought to draw crowded houses.” (Aberdeen Press and Journal 30th March) “who display remarkable dexterity and grace as acrobats and jugglers. A series of astounding feats were performed by the clever Japs with the utmost facility, and the unanimous opinion was that in their own line the Troupe has never been surpassed in Aberdeen” (Aberdeen Press and Journal 31 March 1903 p4)
1903 July K Sato Lukushima runs 120 yards, Olora (Otora) San Fukushima in 440 yards Ladies Walking Race in Music Hall Sports day, Herne Hill
1904 – May – Toba Lukushima, Renzo Lukushima (child), Hanjo Lukushima (child), Osada Lukushima, Kaneno Lukushima, Tennezo Lukushima arrive in Southampton from Capetown.
1904 October – Mr & Mrs Lukushima, Mr Y and Masters Lukushima, Mr S Osada depart Southampton for Capetown
1904 November – May 1906 – Lukushima Troupe of five including that clever little lady Miss Otora San tour Britain
1905 September – Mr & Mrs Lukushima, E Lukushima, H Lukushima, U Lukushima, S. Osada arrive in Fremantle Australia from Capetown.
1905 October – Lukushima Troupe of Plucky Little Japanese in Australia with Bostock and Wombwell’s Great Show
To see the Lukushima troupe is to record a revelation in the art of acrobatism and artistic thrilling balancing. A diminutive looking Japanese balances a huge bamboo on his shoulder. Up this climbs an agile jap and performs feats at its summit usually associated with well-braced trapezes and bars. A little Jap. lady plays with a huge barrel on her feet, whirling it round, tumbling it in all directions as though it were the simple thing in the world, finally showing her contempt for this cleverness by placing the barrel on many boxes piled one above the other, and makiug the barrel even then do what she pleased. Into two bowls water is poured. These are placed in some hitches at the ends of a rope, and before the audience gathers the reason they are swung in all directions until the eye is bewildered with the cleverness of the performer.
The rope is steadied and the water shown to be still in the bowls. The triumph came with the thrillingly marvellous manipulation of a diminutive Jap, who, climbing on the soles of the feet of the leader of the party, made them a platform for all manner of contortions and then, was tossed about as if an inanimate ball. Besides this there was some wonderfully thrilling balancing on a tier of tables. (The Evening Star 10 Oct 1905, Boulder Western Australia)
1905 December – in Melbourne
1906 February – Colac, Victoria
1906 May – Lukushima Troupe in Argentina
1906 February – Miss Lukushima’s Slide for Life in Ballarat, Australia. Numbering 6.
1906 February – Lukushima Troupe performing in Hull, Britain.
1906 July – Mr & Mrs Lukushima, Mr E Lukushima, Mr K Lukushima, Mr H Lukushima, Mr Simpi Osada arrive in Melbourne from New Zealand as part of Bostock and Wombwell’s Circus.
1906 November – Mr T Lukushima (b 1866), Mrs T Lukushima (b 1864), Mr Y Lukushima (b 1881), Mr H Lukushima (b 1884), Master K Lukushima on the Yawata Maru from Sydney Australia to Japan.
1907 Miss H Fukushima, acrobat, arrives in London from Kobe, with Master K Kobayashi, a child.
1908 Nov – depart Australia for Yokohama
1909 Lukushimo troupe of Japanese jugglers in Wolverhampton
1910 – Masao Lukushima born in Tendring, Essex
1911 March – Dewsbury, Edinburgh, five persons, preceded act with a series of beautiful lantern slides of Japanese scenery and pictures of life in that country.
1911 – April census – Masao Lukushima 8 months old born in Essex, boarding in Clacton on Sea with Susan Lukushima b 1898 in France
1911 April census Seishu Watanabe, aged 43, married, Tora Watanabe, female, 34, married, 2 children still alive, both born in Fukuoka prefecture. Takashi Nakagawa, male, 19 single, Ichitaro Naito 18, male, single, Kiyozo Kobayashi, 15. All music hall artistes boarding in Tynemouth
1915 appeared several times in Britain to October 1917
1918 March and July in Britain
1918 July Yasuke Fukushima marries Margaret Browne, St Matthias Church, Poplar.
1921 census Seishu Watanabe aged 53 in Hulme with Tora aged 42, (Music hall artists) Masao aged 10, Yoshiko aged 8, Susan aged 23 (theatrical artist)
1923 Tora, Masao and Yoshiko leave England for Yokohama, Japan.
1925 April – Seishu Watanabe, aged 56, interpreter, “deportee” to Kobe on Haruna Maru.
1919-1930 Susan Watanabe performs recitals of Japanese plays, studies woodblock printing under Frank Morley Fletcher in Edinburgh and exhibits her work.
