“Sphinx Legacy” 編纂記　第53回

加藤英夫

出典：”Sphinx” 1925年10月　執筆者：Okito

私たちが’Chinese Sticks’ として知っていたマジックが、インドのマジックであったことがわかる記事です。

We have discussed the comparative skill of the European, the Indian and the Chinese conjurer, and we have described “the cups and balls” or that which is usually the first trick shown by the compound Jadoo-wallah. We now go to his second trick, that of the bamboo sticks, essentially one of purely Indian origin.

The performer takes two small bamboo sticks which have threaded through them a piece of string at each end of which is a bead. He holds these sticks together and when he pulls one bead the other is naturally drawn in. He now takes a knife and passes it between the sticks ostensibly cutting the string between them. He pulls one bead and wonderful to relate, the other bead is still drawn in as before. He now separates the sticks, holding them V-shaped, when one can see that there is no string connecting the two. Still the same thing happens. When he pulls one bead the other is drawn inwards.

This little trick is usually sold as one of a box of tricks for children at any of the toy shops in England. The explanation is given in the diagram below which shows that the string does not pass directly through each stick but from one side only, then through its center down to the bottom, across to the other stick up through its center, and out through the side. Consequently passing the knife between the sticks cannot harm the string in any way.

But the Indian conjurer goes still farther than the trick as supplied in the child’s box of tricks. After pulling the string to and fro while the sticks are held as a V, he completely separates them, and still no string is visible connecting the two sticks! Nevertheless the same result as hitherto occurs when he pulls one end of the string. This is brought about by a different construction of the apparatus than that described above. In this case the string is put through one side of the stick and is attached to a small weight that can move freely up and down the hollowed out center of the bamboo. When the stick is held vertically the weight will drop and the bead attached to the visible end of the string will be drawn in. When the performer wishes to leave the pulled string out he must incline that stick to a horizontal position, when the weight will not slide down. The diagrams will show how the sticks should be held while doing the trick. It can be easily manufactured or bought in any bazaar.

以下にアクセスすると、Roy Bensonの’Chinese Sticks’ の演技が見られます。3本のスティックを使っているのが面白いです。

つぎの動画は、Gaetan Bloomの’Chinese Sticks’ですが、3本使うというアイデアはBensonを継承しているようですが、3本目を帽子の房に置き換えています。Bensonと比較すると、同じスティックを使う方がよいと私は思いました。突然いままで扱っていたのと違うもので紐を伸ばしても、紐が連結しているというイメージが感じられませんでした。同じ棒でやった方が、連結のイメージが直感できるのです。

https://www.magicana.com/video/ga%C3%ABtan-bloom-chinese-sticks-0

つぎは珍しいFred Kapsがしゃべって演じている動画です。これだけ客受けするとは、さすがKapsですね。