Nabekichi Mayeda, with his wife Theresa toured Australia with Wirth's Circus for almost 3 years in the late 1930s. During that time, Nabekichi was the victim of an accident and almost lost his life.
Nabekichi Mayeda, Japanese foot juggler was born in Japan in either 1893 or 1894.
He started performing in England in 1918 as one of the Kobes Troupe. They were balancers, barrel jugglers, and risley artists- (foot jugglers). They performed consistently in England for almost 10 years.
In 1928, Mayeda married Theresa Grinda. It was Theresa's second marriage. She was an English woman, her maiden name was Oakford, born in 1901. Her first husband was an American actor, but the marriage was short lived.
Shortly after their marriage they travelled to Germany and toured Europe for a long period.
In March 1936, Theresa and Nabekichi arrived in Fremantle to start a tour of Australia with Wirth’s Circus. There were four them in the party, including Theresa. They toured under the name the four Kobes with Nabekichi as the spokesperson.
In an interview upon arrival, Mr Mayeda was described as standing less than 5 foot tall, with a wiry figure and an engaging personality. He told the interviewer that he had left Japan with a music hall troupe in 1901. They travelled to Russia and then to Europe arriving in England just before the start of World War One in 1914. Immediately before touring Australia, he and Theresa had been performing in Germany. During the interview , Nabekichi admitted that he had some trouble holding onto money and therefore had not revisited Japan since leaving.
The other two men in the troupe were probably Charles Chinn and George Bradley. Theresa acted as an assistant in the act. The three men, being Asian, were closely watched by Australian authorities whilst touring.
Their act consisted of ladder balancing and foot juggling. They juggled parasols with their feet and balanced each other on the top of ladders. The highlight was Nabekichi walking up a rope at a 90 degree angle and calmly sliding down backwards just attached by his toes holding an umbrella.
They travelled all over the country from Western Australia to Victoria to New South Wales. They visited country towns and cities and everywhere they went, the Kobes were described as sensational, wonderful and brilliant. They were obviously a very professional, well drilled troupe.
Theresa and Nabekichi stayed with Wirths when they travelled to New Zealand and by 1938 they were in South Australia.
On their first day in Clare, Nabekichi was out with other members of the circus troupe, they were crossing the road, when suddenly, from nowhere, a car, driven by James Colin Maynard, a local man sped by and ran over Nabekichi.
He was seriously injured with a fractured skull and rushed to hospital. He was there for six weeks.
In December 1938 he took Maynard to court stating that he was familiar with English courts and was a Catholic so could swear on the bible and give truthful testimony. Nabekichi said that the troupe of three earned 27 pounds a week and of this, 21 pounds was his wage. He was described as well dressed and using perfect English by the reporter.
Maynard contended that he had sounded his horn when he saw Nabekichi step out onto the street, his mother supported this contention.
The judge believed the local boy and Nabekichi lost the case and therefore had no hope of any compensation for his lost wages.
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By early 1939 Nabekichi had returned to Wirths and was performing as part of the ‘oriental’ Mayedas- by this time the relationship between Japan and the Commonwealth was deteriorating rapidly so Wirth's was not billing the troupe as Japanese.
Nabekichi and Theresa left Australia in June 1939.
They stayed in England, but Nabekichi left for Japan in 1940 probably to avoid internment.
Theresa remained in her homeland until her death in 1980.
Nabekichi Mayeda was never heard from again.