Bromide (Japanese culture)
Encyclopedia
In Japan
, bromide (ブロマイド), or promide (プロマイド) refers to a category of commercial photographic portraits of celebrities including geisha
, singers, actors and actresses of both stage and film, and sports stars. The use of the term "bromide" or "promide" occurs regardless of whether bromide paper was actually used for the photograph.
In 1921 the Marubell Company began marketing photographs of celebrities under the name "Promide". The first of these was a portrait of the film actress Sumiko Kurishima
. Marubell sold the photographic paper as "bromide", and its finished photographs as "Promide". The two words eventually became synonymous and between the mid-1940s and the late-1980s sales of "bromides" were used to measure the popularity of Japanese idol
s. Sales records were released on a monthly basis for the following categories: "Male Singers", "Female Singers", "Actors", and "Actresses".
The use of the term "bromide" (or "promide") to refer to a celebrity photograph remains a part of Japanese popular consciousness, and reference books such as the Kōjien
Dictionary and NHK
's Broadcasting Glossary recognize the term as such. Although the term is gradually falling out of use, it still occasionally appears in Japanese media (to include manga
, TV shows and video games). In the Lunar video game series, for example, the "bromides" are collector items reminiscent of pin-up
photographs; they typically feature female characters.
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, bromide (ブロマイド), or promide (プロマイド) refers to a category of commercial photographic portraits of celebrities including geisha
Geisha
, Geiko or Geigi are traditional, female Japanese entertainers whose skills include performing various Japanese arts such as classical music and dance.-Terms:...
, singers, actors and actresses of both stage and film, and sports stars. The use of the term "bromide" or "promide" occurs regardless of whether bromide paper was actually used for the photograph.
In 1921 the Marubell Company began marketing photographs of celebrities under the name "Promide". The first of these was a portrait of the film actress Sumiko Kurishima
Sumiko Kurishima
was a Japanese actress and master of traditional Japanese dance. She is often considered Japan's first female movie star.-Career:...
. Marubell sold the photographic paper as "bromide", and its finished photographs as "Promide". The two words eventually became synonymous and between the mid-1940s and the late-1980s sales of "bromides" were used to measure the popularity of Japanese idol
Japanese idol
In Japanese culture, are media personalities in their teens and early twenties who are considered particularly attractive or cute and who will, for a period ranging from several months to a few years, regularly appear in the mass media, e.g...
s. Sales records were released on a monthly basis for the following categories: "Male Singers", "Female Singers", "Actors", and "Actresses".
The use of the term "bromide" (or "promide") to refer to a celebrity photograph remains a part of Japanese popular consciousness, and reference books such as the Kōjien
Kojien
The is a single-volume Japanese dictionary first published by Iwanami Shoten in 1955. Many native speakers of Japanese regard the Kōjien as the most authoritative dictionary, and newspaper editorials frequently cite its definitions...
Dictionary and NHK
NHK
NHK is Japan's national public broadcasting organization. NHK, which has always identified itself to its audiences by the English pronunciation of its initials, is a publicly owned corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee....
's Broadcasting Glossary recognize the term as such. Although the term is gradually falling out of use, it still occasionally appears in Japanese media (to include manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
, TV shows and video games). In the Lunar video game series, for example, the "bromides" are collector items reminiscent of pin-up
Pin-up girl
A pin-up girl, also known as a pin-up model, is a model whose mass-produced pictures see wide appeal as popular culture. Pin-ups are intended for informal display, e.g. meant to be "pinned-up" on a wall...
photographs; they typically feature female characters.