The Magic of Tenkai

My Fifty Years In Magic

1974
Written by Arnold Furst, Gerald Kosky
Work of Tenkai Ishida
144 pages (Hardcover), published by Magic Limited
Illustrated with drawings by Tenkai Ishida, Shigeo Futagawa, Bob Wagner
Language: English
71 entries
Cover photograph
Creators Title Comments & References Page Categories
Dai Vernon Introduction
9
Chapter One - "My Fifty Years in Magic"
10
Tenkai Ishida "My Fifty Years in Magic"
  • Pre-magician Years 1889-1924
    • Departure
    • My Home
    • The magic of that period
    • Meeting "The Great Asia Manji"
    • Instant bugler
    • Tumbler
    • Fast fingers
    • Military life and a command performance
    • Marriage
    • Night flight
  • The American tour 1924-1925 en route
    • The composition of the group
    • Hawaiian Performances
    • On to San Francisco
    • Troubles, Troubles
    • Traveling around
    • Recollections of the Thurston Show
 		10
Kazuhiko Nagoya Tenkai, A Master of Magic article from the Mainichi Daily News, May 1962, on Tenkai
 		30
Chapter Two - Cards
32
Tenkai Ishida Center Steal angling card with thumb
 		32
Tenkai Ishida Four Ace Routine four Aces are lost in the deck and then four apparently random cards change into Aces, add-on of card while Aces are outjogged in a fan
 		34
Tenkai Ishida Surprise Color Change
36
Tenkai Ishida Topsy Turvy Cards faced deck rightens itself, repeated
 		38
Tenkai Ishida Interlocked Card Production
Also published here 42
Tenkai Ishida Billfold and Cards four Aces of Spades are removed from billfold, they change into Kings and Ace of Space is found in billfold, saliva
Also published here
  • in "Genii".
 44
Tenkai Ishida All Alike Sequence
45
Tenkai Ishida Vanish of Thought-Of Card one of ten cards, spectator remembers card and position, card vanishes an appears inside pocket, Lazy Man
 		47
Tenkai Ishida Addition single card is added from top of the deck, while card spread on table is gathered
 		47
Tenkai Ishida Reverse Push-Off Count false count, moving doubles as in the side walk shuffle
Also published here
  • in "Genii" September, 1969.
 48
Tenkai Ishida Japanese Mental Card Effect using only eight cards
Also published here
  • in "Genii".
 50
Tenkai Ishida Manipulative Routine card manipulation routine, with production of silk behind fan
 		52
Tenkai Ishida Tenkai Card (Color) Change
54
Tenkai Ishida Tenkai Bottom Palm (One-Hand Fan Steal)
56
Tenkai Ishida Tenkai Change Over Palm
58
Tenkai Ishida Tenkai Front Hand Production
60
Tenkai Ishida Tenkai Finger-Hold Palm sort of lateral palm
 		62
Tenkai Ishida Tenkai Squeeze Production similar to production in Phoenix Aces
Related to 62
Tenkai Ishida Tenkai Palm production of single cards
 		62
Tenkai Ishida How the Silk is folded fold for production
 		64
Chapter Three - Cigarettes
66
Tenkai Ishida Ghost Cigarette lit cigarette is pushed through handkerchief, using extra fake cigarette
Also published here
  • Sam Berland's "Novel Cigarette Tricks"
 66
Tenkai Ishida Cigarette Surprise vanish and production of cigarette
Also published here
  • Sam Berland's "Novel Cigarette Tricks"
 68
Tenkai Ishida Cigarette and Handkerchief Routine lit cigarette vanishes from handkerchief and appears inside pocket
Also published here
  • "The Bat" February, 1946.
 70
Chapter Four - Coins
74
Tenkai Ishida Coin Chase coin on trousers leg vanishes and appears again
Also published here 74
Tenkai Ishida Penetrating Coin hand on knee, coin penetrates hand
Also published here
  • Tenkai's "My Fifty Years In Magic"
 76
Tenkai Ishida Silver Production Out Of the Air coin is produced using a handkerchief
Also published here
  • Tenkai's "My Fifty Years In Magic"
 78
Tenkai Ishida Catch the Coin coin snatching technique, hand is wrapped with handkerchief except first finger, spectator cannot take the coin
Related to 80
Tenkai Ishida Coin Into Handkerchief silver coin joins copper coin in handkerchief, sort of Expansion of Texture
 		82
Tenkai Ishida Devaluation half Dollar on back of hand changes into Quarter
Also published here 84
Tenkai Ishida Coin in Cone Vanish coin vanishes when dropped in paper cone
Also published here
  • in "Genii" March, 1958.
 86
Chapter Five - Ropes
90
Tenkai Ishida Rope Decapitation rope through neck
Also published here
  • "The Sphinx".
 90
Tenkai Ishida Ring Off Rope
92
Tenkai Ishida Miracle Rope Effect rope is doubled and loops cut, restoration
Also published here
  • "The Sphinx".
 94
Tenkai Ishida Chair Release From Cords ropes through chair
 		96
Tenkai Ishida Rope Puzzle do as I do with ropes, loop over thumb is released
Also published here
  • in "Genii" May, 1971.
 98
Tenkai Ishida The Knot of Foam dissolving not, with invisible thread
Also published here
  • in "Genii" April, 1967.
 100
Tenkai Ishida False Knot Gimmick knot is moved and picked off rope, pipe cleaner gimmick
 		103
Chapter Six - Silks
104
Tenkai Ishida Cut and Restored Silk Handkerchief folded in newspaper, invisible black thread
Inspired by
  • T. Sakamoto's routine 1983.
 104
Tenkai Ishida Surprise Silk Vanish
108
Tenkai Ishida Vanishing Silk Knots triple knot in handkerchief dissolves, invisible black thread
 		110
Tenkai Ishida Surprise Silk and Billiard Ball Production silk with looped thread
Also published here
  • in "Genii" December, 1959.
 112
Tenkai Ishida Production of Sevveral Silks five silks produced from large handkerchief, silk ball
 		114
Chapter Seven - Six Tricks
118
Tenkai Ishida Dye Tube Technique several silks change color when pushed through paper tube
Also published here 118
Tenkai Ishida Knots Supreme grandmother's necklace
Also published here 120
Tenkai Ishida Three Dice Trick three dice picked up and number arrangement on them changes, paddle move with three dice in pyramid configuration
Also published here 124
Tenkai Ishida Two Penny Trick
Also published here 126
Tenkai Ishida Tenkai Pennies Point Transfer
Also published here 126
Tenkai Ishida Back Clip fourth finger pinch
Also published here 126
Tenkai Ishida Two Coin Moves - Number 1 coin apparently pushed into left fist, sponge ball type
Also published here 128
Tenkai Ishida Two Coin Moves - Number 2 coin apparently dropped into left hand
Also published here 128
Tenkai Ishida A Follow-Up coin vanishes from silk, with ditch in breast pocket
Also published here 128
Tenkai Ishida False Transfer a bit like a retention vanish perhaps, unclear
Also published here 128
Tenkai Ishida Card Flight
Also published here 130
Tenkai Ishida Book Break in context of a one-hand turnover
Also published here 130
Tenkai Ishida One-Hand Turnover and Fan small packet, with one double
Also published here 130
Tenkai Ishida Small-Packet Bottom Palm palming bottom two cards during display sequence
Also published here 132
Chapter Eight - Miscellaneous
134
Tenkai Ishida Glass Levitation two glasses on book, when turned over glasses do not fall
Also published here
  • "Genii".
 134
Tenkai Ishida Dance of the Butterfly paper butterflies held in air with fan
Related toAlso published here
  • "The Sphinx".
 136
Tenkai Ishida Ten Changes to Two Fives
140
Gerald Kosky Recollections on Tenkai producing his own finger tips, fake cigarettes etc., sand bucket for miser's dream
 		142
Data entered by Lorenz Schär, January 2024.