[papermodelfan]

What a wonderful tatebanko. Thanks for sharing it! I am guessing by the style that it is from before 1885, when there was more writing next to each little piece. It is noteworthy that the little steam launch flies the modern Japanese flag, which was adopted for use by ships in 1870, so I am guessing it was soon thereafter. By 1885 they were starting to build steel ships. Some tatebanko were made to show off the strange and wonderful habits of the Westerners, and some (like this one) were intended to show how the Japanese could make good use of them. The flag shows this is the latter. The Western style wharf buildings might suggest Nagasaki as the location. On page 1, there is a sign for one of the buildings that says "Telegraph Station" in English. My guess is that this is a depiction of the first steam launch built and operated in japan - but that is just speculation. the writing from that time is really hard to read, my Japanese friends tell me - anyone want to give it a try?