🎎 Antique Japanese Student Slate Chalkboard – Komai Mitsuo’s Early Showa-Era Writing Board | Japan Antique Roadshow product image (1)
🎎 Antique Japanese Student Slate Chalkboard – Komai Mitsuo’s Early Showa-Era Writing Board | Japan Antique Roadshow product image (2)
🎎 Antique Japanese Student Slate Chalkboard – Komai Mitsuo’s Early Showa-Era Writing Board | Japan Antique Roadshow product image (3)
🎎 Antique Japanese Student Slate Chalkboard – Komai Mitsuo’s Early Showa-Era Writing Board | Japan Antique Roadshow product image (4)
🎎 Antique Japanese Student Slate Chalkboard – Komai Mitsuo’s Early Showa-Era Writing Board | Japan Antique Roadshow product image (5)
🎎 Antique Japanese Student Slate Chalkboard – Komai Mitsuo’s Early Showa-Era Writing Board | Japan Antique Roadshow product image (6)
🎎 Antique Japanese Student Slate Chalkboard – Komai Mitsuo’s Early Showa-Era Writing Board | Japan Antique Roadshow product image (7)
🎎 Antique Japanese Student Slate Chalkboard – Komai Mitsuo’s Early Showa-Era Writing Board | Japan Antique Roadshow product image (1)
🎎 Antique Japanese Student Slate Chalkboard – Komai Mitsuo’s Early Showa-Era Writing Board | Japan Antique Roadshow product image (2)
🎎 Antique Japanese Student Slate Chalkboard – Komai Mitsuo’s Early Showa-Era Writing Board | Japan Antique Roadshow product image (3)
🎎 Antique Japanese Student Slate Chalkboard – Komai Mitsuo’s Early Showa-Era Writing Board | Japan Antique Roadshow product image (4)
🎎 Antique Japanese Student Slate Chalkboard – Komai Mitsuo’s Early Showa-Era Writing Board | Japan Antique Roadshow product image (5)
🎎 Antique Japanese Student Slate Chalkboard – Komai Mitsuo’s Early Showa-Era Writing Board | Japan Antique Roadshow product image (6)
🎎 Antique Japanese Student Slate Chalkboard – Komai Mitsuo’s Early Showa-Era Writing Board | Japan Antique Roadshow product image (7)

🎎 Antique Japanese Student Slate Chalkboard – Komai Mitsuo’s Early Showa-Era Writing Board | Japan Antique Roadshow

$172.00

🎎 This rare and evocative artifact is an authentic Japanese student slate chalkboard (スレート板, sureeto-ita), likely dating from the early Showa period (circa 1930s–1940s). These personal slates were commonly used by elementary school students in Japan before the widespread adoption of paper notebooks. This particular board appears to have belonged to a young student named Komai Mitsuo (小舞光雄), as handwritten in ink on the wooden frame.

The name Komai (小舞) combines the kanji for "small" (小) and "dance" (舞), while Mitsuo (光雄) combines "light" (光) and "male" or "hero" (雄), conveying meanings such as "little dancer" and "shining hero."

The slate is framed in wood and secured with brass nails, exhibiting deep wear patterns, scratches, and small chips—testament to its extensive use. Despite its age, the board remains sturdy and could serve as a nostalgic accent piece or functional chalkboard in a modern setting.

Specifications:

  • Dimensions: 25.6 cm (length) x 18 cm (width) x 0.6 cm (thickness)

  • Weight: Approximately 400 grams

  • Materials: Slate board with wooden frame and brass nails

  • Condition: Heavily worn with scratches, chips, and dents; structurally sound

A touching anecdote accompanies this item: When shown to a 90-year-old man from Shizuoka, he immediately recognized it as the same type of slate he used in first grade at Udo Elementary School. He noted that his was slightly larger but otherwise identical, highlighting the widespread use of such slates in Japanese education during that era.

In all my years collecting and curating Japanese antiques, this is the first and only example of a student's slate I’ve encountered. These slates were typically used until the mid-Showa period and often discarded after school days ended, making surviving examples extraordinarily rare. This piece is not only a functional antique but also a deeply personal window into the daily life of children in Japan nearly a century ago.

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#KurtBell #GoingAlone #JapanAntiqueRoadshow #JapaneseSchoolSlate #ShowaEra #KomaiMitsuo #JapaneseAntique #VintageChalkboard #EducationalHistory #JapaneseSchoolhouse

Quality Guarantee & Returns

  • Quality is guaranteed. If there is a print error or visible quality issue, we'll replace or refund it.
  • Because the products are made to order, we do not accept general returns or sizing-related returns.