Antique Japan Abacus - Soroban Wooden Calculating Tool

[Duncanmn]

Hi there, I was wondering if anyone out there had a good idea on how to clean an older abacus like this. I have recently purchased a vintage soroban and I would like to know the appropriate way to restore it. Thank you in advance!

[usaraf2010]

Why not explain how to use it? Isn't that a part of knowing about it?

[smfan2000]

OMG mine has 4 beads on the bottom and 2 on the top and bamboo runners :)

[kmj2000]

@smfan2000 If your abacus has 2 heaven beads that means you have a Chinese abacus. Nothing wrong with it, but if you have Japanese instructions you'll just have to ignore one row on the top. It's ok.

[smfan2000]

@kmj2000 um, I'm sorry that is not me... i don't ever recall watching this video,

[MrsVegascrush]

IT´S A CHINESE INVENTION!!! ITS CHINESE!!

NOT JAPANESE!!

[Douranium]

@MrsVegascrush the kind he has is japanese mr know it all, the chinese is defferent

[Douranium]

@MrsVegascrush the kind he has is japanese, he is wrong about the japanese switching abacuses they are chinese so yea

[JuniorX]

@MrsVegascrush you pay me now?

[snoejp]

@MrsVegascrush He never said it was a Japanese invention. It's the Japanese version of the abacus.

[MrGameboy1989]

i lost track at 1:05

[Tratiz]

Omg mine has 5 lower beads instead of 4 and i just got it but im soo pissed because there is NO reason it should be there!!!!

[antijelly]

@Tratiz it has the extra beed so you can use a different number system. just ignore the last beed since we all use the bass 10 format these days :)

[AnjuABCDE]

Japanese abacus were from China. In Chinese its called Suan Pan. The name share similarities in pronunciation.

[natuxxxxxxxxxxxxxx]

日本のそろばんの起源はイングランドじゃないよ、中国から来たん­だよ

時期は５世紀だったかな？

大体イングランドとの交易が始まったのは、１９世紀後半じゃない­か…

江戸時代終わりかけだよ

[mimzzyki]

This is from China, you 'r so on 9 ....

[crazycruz257]

this sucked!!!

[nadeemazharmughal]

ya good info thanks dear

[TheFaustianMan]

Great Lesson! Nice Piece you have there.

[ChandlerDoc]

i saw one at the good will for a 1.00

[laowai121]

This is originated from China. Thanks.

[sakurasakura2424]

The oldest abacus in the world is excavated on the Salamis island in Athens of a Greek age.

It introduced from China to Japan and it became the abacus of the current shape.

[laowai121]

LOL get your fact straight ... greek? the Chinese abacus was the oldest one and the most efficient one ..

[easytolearnmagicstuf]

he's right. the chinese abacus came from Greece.

[laowai121]

when ? LOL

[Arycke]

the oldest one was actually from the Mesopotamians, around southern Iraq, so not really China, more specifically Sumeria back in the day :) They date back to approximately 2700?-2200? BC, not sure of the dates :D But it is oftentimes wrongly attributed to just China itself eh.

[laowai121]

do you have the actual thing that was made that time? or any evidence ? since China has evidence and ancient books that records this .

[Arycke]

Of course I don't :) Evidence? The evidence I have found are from various textbooks on the ancient Sumerian civilization that in approx. 2700 BC, the Sumerians invented the abacus as a tool for calculating. The earliest abacus still in tact is a Sumerian one, called the Salamis tablet. That is the oldest proof of abaci, but I do not doubt there being earlier cases of Sumerian ones, as well as Chinese ones.

[laowai121]

yes so which one was the first to appear

[Arycke]

Sumerian abacus.

[laowai121]

that is obviously incorrect . sumerian is totally different from the Chinese ones. sumerian ones were used only for simple addition and subtraction. it's not a formal abacus. and the Chinese abacus from which the japanese soroban was developed is much more efficient than any other abacus.

[Arycke]

I understand this :) I did not operationally define abacus correctly, my bad. I meant it as a general term, not necessarily as the abacus that the soroban ( I own one) and the modern day Chinese abacus is based on. My mistake.

[Rommel88HUN]

BC 5th century actually :-)

[Suprvd]

Does anybody now where can I buy it in U.S.? I want to buy a "modern" one Soroban.

Tks!

[allgoo19]

Suprvd: "Does anybody know where.."

Try, soroban(.)com

[chrstnrnld]

hey man no joking i really need to know more about soroban and how to do qiuick calculations using it and without using it are there schools for it....i will do it.....

[ericrouge]

Nice piece!

It seems that the clumsy engraving at the back is the name of the 10yo kid who did it on the order of the teacher, not to mix up sorobans in the classroom: 福井 Fukui (family name) 匀 Hitoshii

[ichigo2008bleach]

kool