John Lennon
A special collection of materials from John Lennon’s Japanese immersion course—including a hand-drawn sketchbook—ca. 1976
No reserve
Lot Closed
April 23, 04:19 PM GMT
Estimate
12,000 - 18,000 USD
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Description
5 pcs. Comprising the following:
A 9 ½ x 11 ½ in. book with pebbled black cover. A printed copy of Lennon’s original, with hand-drawn illustrations to help him recall his learning, bound and gifted by Lennon to his Japanese instructor, Tamiko Steinberg. Features 94 original drawings throughout; Lennon has penned an added inscription to “Steinberg san,” with a doodle of a sheep saying “Domo arigato!” in ballpoint on the inside front cover;
A 5 ¼ x 8 ¼ in. blue Berlitz course workbook, throughout which Lennon has added dozens of notes and humorous doodles in pencil;
A 5 ⅞ x 3 ⅞ in. postcard, addressed to "Steinberg san" and signed by Lennon, who has added his signature family portrait of him, Sean and Yoko, with “People compliment me on my Japanese!” at bottom left, all in black ink;
A collection of doodles in blue and black ink on 8 ½ x 2 ¾ in. ruled paper;
A drawing with the caption, “Experts are boomerang rounding the world” in black ink on 8 x 5 in. unlined paper.
Wear consistent with age and storage.
Obtained directly from Tamiko Steinberg’s daughter—these items have not left possession of the family since Lennon gifted them in the late 1970s.
This intimate group of materials offers a rare and deeply personal insight into John Lennon’s intellectual curiosity, artistic spontaneity, and cultural engagement during a formative period in the artist’s life and relationship with Yoko Ono. In 1976, Lennon enrolled in a Berlitz “Total Immersion” Japanese language crash course to prepare for an upcoming extended trip to Japan, where he would spend time with Yoko’s family. Conducted entirely in Japanese, the program followed a rigorous, intensive curriculum, with full days devoted to language instruction both inside and beyond the classroom.
Course materials included illustrated booklets designed to facilitate vocabulary acquisition and retention; Lennon, characteristically, transformed his own booklet into a site of playful creative expression, embellishing the prescribed imagery with spontaneous and simple—yet quite meaningful—doodles. As he continued in his studies, he incorporated a sketchbook, reportedly gifted during his first week of the course, in which he visually recorded newly-acquired words and phrases in his signature line-drawing style. These doodles, often infused with his irreverent humor and a touch of whimsy, reveal a deeper impression of Lennon’s imagination and his innate ability to create meaning in the mundane.
To "Steinberg san," according to her daughter, Lennon was remembered as an exceptionally fast and intuitive learner—the “fastest natural learner” she had worked with, which prompted her to wonder whether his “genius with music” is what made him so well-equipped as a pupil. A postcard sent from Japan, included in this lot, later affirmed his progress, noting that he had received compliments on his spoken Japanese.
This personal yet playful peek into John Lennon’s academic life is evidence of a deeper relationship between student and teacher: one of mutual admiration, respect, and boundless creativity. In these items, it is clear that Lennon found immense fulfillment from his studies, and that his time in the course served him well during his travels to Japan.
Lennon’s connection to Japan extended well beyond this period of formal language study, becoming a focal point of his personal and artistic life in the later years of his career. Through his relationship with Yoko Ono, Lennon developed a sustained interest in Japanese culture, aesthetics and, clearly, language. Japan became a much-needed refuge, culturally and creatively, for Lennon—particularly during his “househusband” years in the late 1970s, during which he focused on the tranquility of domestic life. He spent some summers during this period in Karuizawa, a serene mountain resort town near Nagano.