Hi all! Sorry to come to you with a shikishi question since this is a cel forum but it seems like a lot of you collect shikishi, whereas this is one of my firsts. I got it along with some Fushigi Yuugi cels and at first I didn't even realize it was a shikishi because it's so small. What I basically am wondering is if this is just an artistic reproduction on a tiny shikishi or if it's actually Watase Yuu original.
It is very small, about the size of my hand. I haven't unbagged it but I can't smell any marker smell. Holding it to the light at different angles hasn't let me confirm whether it's a marker drawn on or not. Googling the name printed in the lower right corner hasn't helped me any either with regards to whether this might've been a prize given away or a reproduction, etc.
Basically, I want to know if it needs careful conservation if it's an original, or if it's just a reproduction and can be casually stored. Are reproduction shikishi frequently made? Any information anyone has on it would be much appreciated. I assume it's just a repro, but if there's a way to know if it's original I'd obviously like to know so I can take care of it properly.
I can provide more photos or information if needed. Thanks!
That is small for a shikishi. All of ours are larger.
Repro shikishi exist. We have one. Sometimes the signature on them is real, sometimes not. The stamp in the lower right corner of yours indicates to us that it is likely a repro.
In our limited experience, its hard to tell the difference between real and repro just by reflection. These boards tend to absorb ink differently than paper. The size and the stamp are key here.
Thanks for the head's up. Another user sent me a PM to http://www.suruga-ya.jp/product/detail/608199884000 showing the same shikishi, so it appears to be a reproduction. In this case, it appears that even the autograph is a reproduction. Pity but good to know. I figured it was a reprod myself due to the small size and stamp, but nice to find another identical to know for sure.
Repro shikishi are very common now, especially with eroge. In some cases, they're about 3/4 the size of a standard shikishi, however, there are many that are full size. One way to tell it's a repro is if you see any copyright annotations on the shikishi, usually on the bottom of the front of the shikishi, or if there is a logo on the shikishi anywhere (with exception to Square Jump shikishi..) . In the case of this FY shikishi, the logo is present. Another way is to look at the picture to see if any pencil marks can be found. Repro shikishi have those marks cleaned up. It used to be that looking for marker brush strokes was a good way to differentiate, but the repro shikishi that are being released now are at such a high quality where you can still see these marks.
My advice is to simply use Google. Enter in the kanji for the artist's name and the kanji for shikishi, 色紙 , and see what turns up. If you see a couple of different similar pictures to the item in question, then it's likely a repro (or worse, a counterfeit). Using Google is particularly helpful if you're in doubt over an autograph and need a reference. When you do this, make sure to look at several different examples before making your determination; The autographs should be close, but not an exact replica and, in the case of when an artist writes their name in cursive or western characters, not shaky. You can sometimes obtain information about the particular item in question, such as a scan of the contest in which the shikishi was awarded.
A good rule of thumb with shikishi is to never buy anything without some sort of proof, such as a letter awarding the item to the recipient or a Kuroneko Yamato shipping form (they do list the prize on it along with the magazine company's address). You may miss out on some items this way, but it will save you from a lot of heartache later.
Edit: Van, aren't you currently living in Japan (you mentioned you were in Osaka on RS)? I would recommend entering any of the giveaways in magazines like SQ, HanaYume, Alive (currently has a giveaway), Aria (I think there's one going on in Aria right now), etc. You might have a small chance at winning something, but it is definitely better than my chance of winning anything as I don't reside in Japan.
Cutiebunny thanks for the great information on the shikishi! I don't collect them or really plan to, but this one came with some Fushigi Yuugi cels I won recently so I figured it'd be worth it to make sure it wasn't valuable. It's still a neat piece of artwork, but I'm not going to worry about taking extra special good care of it since it's just a repro. If it was an original with all those characters and her autograph though that'd be another story!
I do live near Osaka, but I'm not sure my Japanese is good enough to figure out how to enter magazine contests... that's tempting though, and not something I'd ever considered doing before. Thanks for the idea!
