SF Panorama Hall [SF Archeological Museum / Kokokan

Tokyo: Hokutoh Shobo, 1975. First Edition . Illustrated Boards. Fine Book/Fine DJ. Illustrations Throughout. 133 pp. Survey of SF with reproductions of early American pulp SF covers and interior illustrations. With publisher's printed price label and bookmark. Also with a presentastion postcard dated July 24, 1977, Tokyo, from Tetsu Yano, to Forrest Ackerman, SF agent and publisher, who had been a good friend of Yano's for many years: "Dear Forry; I can tell the name in English of the book and etcs as follows; the title is SF Archeological Museum. (in Japanese, pronounced as SF Kohkokan and spelled as Kokokan. Koh is think; Ko is ancient or old, Kan is building). Writer; Koichiro Noda Publisher .... To Wendiko [Wendayne, Ackerman's wife, and herself a translator of SF]: Thank you very much, I am waiting. Almost every day we are talking about you. please tell my best wishes to Kris [Los Angeles area SF writer Kris Neville] and his family, he has wrote about you and praised very much. Love, Tetsu "[typed, followed by handwritten notes referring to the woodblock illustration on the other side of the postcard] "Wood cut picture show: farm-house living room - kerosene lantern, kettle, furnace, kamiko game. See you again." The DJ is a simple rerpduction of the illustration on the boards, in color, plain black and white flaps with a photo alignment mark on each flap, and may be a proof of the illustration used on the boards rather than a true DJ, but is printed on exceptionally sturdy glossy paper. Tetsu Yano (1923-2004) was a Japanese science fiction translator and writer. He began to introduce to Japanese readers the works of US science fiction writers in the late 1940s. He was the first Japanese writer of the genre to visit the United States, in 1953. He took part in founding Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of Japan [SFWJ], and served as its president from 1978 to 1979. Yano was born in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture and grew up in Kobe. After studying at Chuo University for three years, he was drafted into the Japanese Army, serving two years and two months. After the war he made a living collecting trash on a US military base, where he became fascinated with the colorfully-illustrated science fiction works thrown away by the soldiers. He learned to read English and eventually began translating science fiction, completing about 360 works of writers including Robert A. Heinlein, Frederik Pohl, and Frank Herbert. He also wrote stories of his own, including The Legend of the Paper Spaceship, which first appeared in English translation in 1984 and has appeared in several collections. Some of his stories have been adapted into anime. The Dagger of Kamui is a Japanese novel series by Tetsu Yano released by Kadokawa Shoten from 1984 to 1985. The series was adapted in 1985 into an anime film directed by Rintaro and animated by Madhouse and Toei Animation. The screenplay was adapted by Mori Masaki, and character designs were created by Moribi Murano, who also illustrated the novel series. Takuo Noda directed the animation, and the music was composed by Ryudo Uzaki and Eitetsu Hayashi. Kamui was released on VHS and DVD in North America by AnimEigo. Yano and Noda both attended the final rites for Robert Heinlein and their attendance is mentioned in Requiem.