Hokasen and Sands of the Desert

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Andres Reynoso
Posts: 247
Joined: December 22nd, 2010, 10:38 am
Location: Mexico D.F.

Hokasen and Sands of the Desert

Postby Andres Reynoso » April 18th, 2016, 2:28 pm

Today I checked the new Genii issue. What interesting cover. Reading Genii Speaks I learned the main feature is about an antique japanese book complete published here on Genii pages :o and it talks about Sands of the Desert.

I am researching about the trick, so finding a new source made me jump directly to the page. I'm really excited beacause Hokasen gives me a new date and place for the trick 1764 in Japan.

Max Maven comments it's a trick commonly attributed to the India and it doesn't seem to have appeared in west before 1818, when it was performed in England by an indian troupe.

I have found commonly is named "The Indian Jugglers" as the troupe who introduced it to England. In Annals of Magic is said Pinetti performed a form of the Sand Trick from the Indian jugglers but really it could be the Seed Well, a divided well who holds seed of different colors.

Edwin A. Dawes in Genii August 2003, describes: "The Indian juggler lays upon the palm of his hand a small quantity of common white sand, and, taking a pinch between his finger and thumb, he drew it across a half sheet of writing paper, leaving a yellow line of sand, then a black, red, and green, and lastly a white line of the original sand." It sounds as a completly different trick, not sands of the desert and more like the seed well.

I understnad there were different "indian jugglers" not just one troupe. My question is, considering Mr Dawes describes a trick that isn't the sands of the desert, there is a record that one of the "versions" of indian jugglers actually performed it? Frecuently is named 1818 as the date when west meet the trick as indicates Mr. Maven but the only concise description I found is Mr Dawes one, and is another trick.

Thank you very much to Max Maven, Dan Sherer and Richard Kaufman for share Hokasen with the community. Is really a jewel. Its value surpass the subscription price
Andres Reynoso

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