JAPANESE BLACK LACQUER PANELS

together with panels of

    NATIVE AND TRIBAL  WEAPONRY
     (Photography and text by George W. Randall   *  Contact: georgerandall@webblake.net )

Three of four black lacquer panels 27 x 60 inch (66 x 147 cms.) 

each inlaid with mother of pearl and applied coloured ivory. 

The image above, taken in 2004, 

shows many pieces missing from the right shoulder area. 

From a distance the missing pieces are barely noticeable, 

BUT ...

The image above, taken in November 2006, 

                          depicts two Samurai  Warriors.                                                                              

   

Right: close-up of damage to above panel
with many pieces missing. 

Both panels 

are in a decorated red lacquer frame. 

                

              

        

Reference to the Inventories in my Archive one can see that in 1978 

the panels were displayed on the Great Hall Gallery. 

They were subsequently moved to the Oak Bedroom Corridor, 

a narrow passageway leading to three bedrooms and the visitor sitting room. 

In this position they were vulnerable to being knocked and scuffed 

by guests staying in Kinloch Castle when it was operated as a hotel and hostel, 

and, apart from the moving, the most likely cause of the damage. 

***** *****   *   ***** *****

                                                                                                       

BELOW: Damaged panels with many items missing.

True or false the story told to me by the Castle manager at the time, 

(early 1990's), was a group of rowdy guests decided to have a mock battle using the weapons on the panels.

The fact remains many pieces have been removed and lost!

Where are the removed items now?

All these items are part of the "Sir George Bullough Memorial"
 acknowledged and accepted in 1957 when the island of Rum and 
Kinloch Castle were purchased from Lady Bullough 
on behalf of the Nation by the Conservative Government of the day 
and entrusted into the hands of the then 

Nature Conservancy, today Scottish Natural Heritage.

It is total failure by these agencies since to seek, 
and particularly government at the time to appoint 
an appropriate body for the care of Castle and contents, 
and between them for almost sixty years 
allowing these publicly owned artifacts 
to deteriorate to the state we see them today.

BELOW: PAPERS PUBLISHED IN 2006 BY GEORGE W. RANDALL

DEPICTING THE DAMAGE AND PLIGHT OF THESE HISTORIC ARTIFACTS

Swords originally part of the lacquered weaponry panels at Kinloch Castle.

HOW THE AUTHOR BECAME INVOLVED:

POST UPDATED 28 APRIL 2024 ALONG WITH PREVIOUS ARTICLES 

in the interests of raising action through public awareness

 of the plight of this important part of 

Scotland's late Victorian / Edwardian social history.

UPDATED POST 28 APRIL 2024