Japanese jugglers were very popular in Australia during the late 19th Century, so it was not surprising that Tivoli owner, Hugh McIntosh, decided to import a Japanese juggling act, the Togos during the First World War. The two jugglers,28-year-old Unotaro Ishikawa, (born 1888/89 in Yokohama) and 27-year-old Kameichi Yasuda, remained in Australia for several years. Eventually Unotaro married an Australian woman and became known as ‘Togo’ the juggler.
The pair arrived in Australia in 1916. However, they first
had to navigate the White Australia Policy and gain an exemption from the
notorious dictation test. This test was designed to prevent non whites from
entering the country by subjecting them to a dictation test in any language.
For example, a person who could speak and write fluent English may have been
subjected to a dictation test in Gaelic, thus preventing their entry. Fortunately, as performers, the Togos gained
an exemption from the test because the Tivoli Theatre deposited a substantial
bond which guaranteed their eventual departure.
The pair gave their first show in Australia at the Melbourne
Tivoli in November. The act amazed and astounded audiences. It was lavishly
presented, with the jugglers dressed in Japanese costumes and backed by a purple
and gold setting. During the performance
Unotaro juggled sticks, India rubber balls and a glass of water. He was a
clever and skilled juggler and everything he did was ‘so neatly done that it
looks easy and simple’. The highlight of his act was juggling six sticks. Uno
was promoted as being the only person who could achieve this feat. The sticks
were broom handles of around 18 inches (45 cm) long, and he twirled them in the air deftly,
and ‘with a cleverness and speed that stimulated every pulse’. Unotaro also
‘spun a Japanese top to the ceiling which released a mechanical device which
erupted in Japanese and British flags in a setting of electric globes’, a
unique, beautiful, and patriotic display during war time.
The highlight of the show was the ‘slide for life’, a wire
walking act by Kameichi. A wire was strung between the stage and the roof of
the theatre. Kameichi walked the wire to the top, then aided by a parasol, he
slid down the wire back to the stage over the heads of the audience. It was a
remarkable and dangerous feat, made more dangerous when he repeated it
blindfolded, with a bag over his head. One reporter called it ‘one of the most
thrilling acts in vaudeville’.
The act was an enormous success across the Tivoli circuit
and the two men toured the east coast of Australia to much acclaim. After their
contract with the Tivoli expired, they signed with the Fuller circuit, and
continued to play in New Zealand and Australia.
By 1918 the pair were touring Australia as the Royal Togos
and Kameichi was going by the name ‘George Togo’. In Rockhampton ‘attired in
gorgeous oriental costumes they juggled with different articles in a most
finished manner’ They had introduced top spinning to the act which was also very
successful. The highlight continued to be the ‘slide for life’ which astonished
and shocked spectators whenever it was performed.
Whilst travelling, Uno met 19-year-old Glory Numm. In January 1919, the pair married in Sydney.
Glory was the daughter of a prominent member of the Sydney Chinese community,
Horace Numm, a professional interpreter. Her mother, Mary Sing, had died when
Glory was a baby. Glory and Unotaro kept a house in the suburbs of Sydney in
the early 1920s and Glory occasionally travelled with the show.
In late 1919, the act travelled to New Zealand as the Togos-
Alsace company. In Greymouth, Uno, the smaller brother, was described as
keeping ‘the audience spellbound by a series of juggling feats that defied the
laws of gravity and carried one into the world of wizardry.’ Uno balanced a
round piece of tin, a penny and an egg and kept the lot rolling merrily around
the edges of a parasol. He also juggled four burning torches which created an
uncanny illumination in the theatre. Naturally the climax of his performance
was juggling 6 sticks.
George gave a diabolo exhibition, walked the wire, and slid
for life. During the slide for life, the producer, Louis Alsace, asked ladies
in the audience if they would like to join George on the wire. There were no
volunteers. The show was described as a ‘high class performance’ and was very
popular.
Shortly afterwards it seems that George left the show for
the United States, because by 1921, Togo, was performing the slide for life at
a Broadway theatre. Unotaro, however, with his Australian connections remained
in the antipodes and continued as a solo act.
In late 1921 he performed on the Tivoli circuit and was
described as ‘short, dark, dapper’ with a ‘Japanese smile’. His manipulation of
various discs on an umbrella was seen as ‘almost incredible’ and the applause
was long and loud.
Unotaro spoke and wrote English well and in 1922 was using
personal letterhead which proclaimed ‘‘Togo’- The Equilibrist par excellence
and the only 6 cue manipulator in the world.’
During the early 1920s, he travelled regularly between
Australia and New Zealand. He headlined shows in provincial towns and big
cities and introduced novelty into his act in the form of unique top spinning
and juggling. He and Glory had two children during this time.
He was well liked by the Australian theatrical community. In
1923, an Australian newspaper related a humorous anecdote about him. Apparently
on one of his journeys he was given a French grammar. His friends were
astounded when he claimed, mere days later that he had mastered the language,
saying ‘-Oh I know how to say ‘how much’ and ‘too much’ and that’s enough for me’.
Despite this, many of the reviews of his performances have a
tone of paternalism, which indicated a racist view of the Japanese. In addition,
every time he returned to Australia he had to register with the government and
apply, with bond, for an exemption from the dictation test. This was a bureaucratic
obstacle which was not imposed on his white peers.
Most reviews emphasised his small stature. It seems he was
rather short, a New Zealand newspaper described him as ‘diminutive in stature,
but a giant in ability’ when he worked for Fullers in 1924.
That year he applied for copyright on a top spinning/juggling
act. In the application he described how he spun a top in the air and caught it on
the top of a bat then juggled the top and two bats. He also included top
spinning on a sword and a fan. He performed these tricks in his show.
In 1925 Uno, Glory and their two children travelled to
England. It seems they remained there, at least until 1939. In 1927 Unotaro was
reported as performing in variety in the provinces and in 1931, he was said to
be with Maskelyne in London.
In 1937 he was filmed by British Pathe and described as an Australian juggler, although there is no indication
he ever became an Australian citizen. The video shows him juggling five sticks
and performing two of the top spinning feats he patented in 1924. If the dating
is accurate, he was 48 or 49 years old at the time of filming. In 1939 Unotaro
Ishikawa, music hall artiste, was living with wife, Glory, in Islington in
England.
Unotaro Ishikawa, aka Togo, had a long and prosperous life as a juggler and fortunately his act has been memorialised on video. He was a unique artist who undoubtedly had to deal with racism throughout his life. However, he managed to outperform and maintain a successful career much longer than many of his contemporaries and was an outstanding representative of the juggling art.