1863 Shimakura Koto born
1894 Shimakura Koto departs Japan with Kozo Okabe and Sute Yoshimura (with whom she is living)
1898 October – Okabe’s Japanais Fantastics, in the ranks of which is “Yum Yum” the young female who was born armless. but who can do wonders with her toes. New York Clipper October 22nd, p 7
1898 December – “Miss Shimakuri who performs very gracefully some Oriental tricks and sleight of hand.” Messrs Barnum & Bailey’s show. London Evening Standard 14th p 4
1898 December – Miss K Shimakuri is as clever as they send them: from a wisp of paper shavings this little lady Jap produces trifles enough to decorate a giant Christmas tree, including a biggish Japanese umbrella. 15th Westminster Gazette p 10
1898 December Miss Oguri, Japanese armless girl with Miss K Shimakuri magicienne “Freaks at Olympia” = the freaks of Barnum’s show. 17th The Era p 23
1899 January – revolt of the freaks – changing name from “Barnum’s freaks” to prodigies.
1899 April – Miss Shimakura and attractive Jap, engages in conjuring business that is simply bewildering. 25th Bristol Mercury p 6
1899 May – Okuri Kiba who possesses no arms. 30th Aberdeen Evening Express p 3
1899 June – Miss K Shimakura a clever magician and Miss Kiba who possesses no arms and writes and sews, and cuts out paper patterns and designs with her toes. 24th Worcestershire Chronicle p 3
1899 July- Miss Shimakura the Japanese magician who possesses all the artistic finish that belongs to the clever little people of the Island Empire of the Eastern seas – Hampshire Advertiser 12th p 3
1899 August – Miss K Shimakura a Japanese magician York Herald p 3 11th
1899 August – Oguri Kiba, Japanese maiden without arms, whose accomplishments in the skilled making of ornamental and dainty articles is most astonishing. Sunderland Daily Echo p 4 11th
1899 September – Miss Shimakura is a clever Japanese conjurer The Scotsman, 5 September p 7
1899 October – Miss Shimakura Japanese magician who is making her first tour Great Britain – Huddersfield Chronicle 28 October 1899 p 8
1901 February – Miss K Shimakura, on Tamba Maru from London for Kobe
1901 December 16th arrived in Genoa by German mail from Yokohama – Mrs Shimamura and child, Miss Kiwa Oguri
1902 May 29th Koto Shimakura dies at St Thomas’s Hospital in London, aged 39 of an intracranial sarcoma which she had for 2 years, in a coma for 6 days. Artiste at Barnum and Bailey’s Show of 2 Fenchurch Avenue.
Ninjin 