I put together the following for my own benefit, based upon Eugene Burger's comment in 'Secrets' that
‘When I perform ‘Card Warp,’ for example, I begin by saying, “This is one of the greatest card tricks of the Twentieth Century.” I’m investing the proceedings with importance … If you invest the proceedings with a sense of importance, with energy, you may find that your audiences become much more enthusiastic as well, and that is the beginning of impact.’

I thought that by doing some research into the history of tricks I do would help make me perform them better. So I post it here for others to benefit from, or add to, as appropriate:


History of the Messado Close-Up Linking Rings:

Joshua Messado’s love affair with the rings began when he watched Anthony Salazar perform with close-up rings, as he says in his ellusionist bio page, “I was always blown away by it.” In his interview with Full Circle Magic, notes he focussed on the rings with a clear decision to make one trick ‘his own’ and a desire to make the rings ‘cool.’ Another early inspiration for Joshua was ring expert Chris Capehart.

Later, Joshua discovered that he had independently created some of the same moves used earlier by Ninja-Rings masters Shoot Ogawa and Mashiro Yanagida, and was able to meet with them and learn from them. Shoot released his acclaimed Ninja Rings DVD in 2003 (also featuring Keiko), and it was in 1989 that Yanagida had performed his small ring routine at the Magic Castle, Hollywood – the first performance of the Ninja Rings in the US.

Joshua Messado aimed to make his routine spectator-centric, flourishy, and easy to carry and ready to perform at any time – and this goal he has certainly achieved. At a Magic Live conference in Las Vegas he was able to perform his routine for David Copperfield and Jeff McBride, and his rings became the talk of the conference.

Of course, prior to that, the Chinese linking rings had been a staple of magicians work for a very, very long time, and the list of notable ring performers reads like a Who’s Who of magic, for without any doubt the rings are a true magic classic.

It is an established fact that the linking rings go back at least as far as the 1500s, for Germalo Cardano wrote about Damatus (a Spanish performer) entertaining the Belgian Royal Family with linking rings, but the rings might go back much earlier. It is possible, though disputed, that Marco Polo saw the rings being performed in China in the 13th century, and the Chinese provenance of the rings has been hotly debated by magic scholars, with either Turkey or Egypt being an alternative point of origin. But ring historian Pete Biro claims that the rings were indeed originally Chinese and made of jade – the earliest mention coming from Zhou Wehjun during the Han dynasty (possibly as early as 200BC). Pete also claims to have seen possible ‘key’ rings dated from 200AD in a museum in the Czech Republic, and that rings have been found in archaeological digs of Roman theatres going back to before the first century. Pete’s authoritative text on the history of the linking rings, The Real Secrets of the Chinese Linking Rings, was published in 2012 and is considered one of the greatest works in the history of the rings. Other notable classic sources on the history of the rings are Levent’s mammoth seven hour DVD set Ultimate Guide to the Linking Rings and Dariel Fitzkee’s 1946 Rings In Your Fingers.

In more modern times a painting by Giacomo Mantegazza (1876) shows a harem girl performing the rings, and the stage history of the linking rings runs the gamut of expert sorcerers: Robert-Houdin’s 12 ring act; the routines of Ching Ling Foo and Chung Ling Soo (which no doubt helped solidify the ‘Chinese’ moniker); Al Koran’s 3 Ring Routine; and Hilliard’s Master Routine, to name but a few of the greats of yesteryear who added something to ring lore.

Coming even closer to the present day, and to Joshua Messado, we can name but a few of the wonderful magi who have took the rings to heart: Herman Weber; Jack Miller; Dai Vernon; Cardini; Slydini; Dunninger; Fu Manchu; Roy Benson; George Blake; Viktor Voitko; Aldo Colombini; Chris Capehart; Shigei Takagi; Cellini; John Carney; Whit Haydn; Jeff McBride; Ali Bongo; David Copperfield; Ken Brooke; Paul Potassy; Paul Daniels; Al Schnieder; Fred Kaps … The list goes on and on.

A testament to the rings popularity and iconic status can be seen in the film The Prestige where the magician character Borden preform the traditional Chinese Linking Rings before going into The Transported Man. As Levent notes, the “Chinese Linking Rings is one of the greatest tricks in the Art of Magic.”

So, next time I perform Mr. Messado’s close-up lining rings routine this will be sitting somewhere in the back of my mind, and hopefully I can invest my performance with the gravitas this effect so rightly deserves.

Nice, thx

No worries . As I said, I hope by doing this for the tricks I perform I can become a better presenter of magic. Maybe others can do the same and find what an interesting endeavour it is

Addition:

From the conjuring credits website I copied the following which I'll add to the OP in my own notes:

"An early explanation of this trick is given by J. N. Ponsin in Nouvelle magie blanche dévoilée, Vol. 2, 1854, p. 39. Two years later the trick was explained in an English work, the anonymously authored The Magicians' Own Book, 1857, p. 31 (also published as The Boy's Own Conjuring Book, 1859). Martin Chapender's routine in Mahatma, Vol. 7 No. 1, July 1903, p. 756, is perhaps the first modern routine, which influenced much of what was to come after. Among other things, it features the crash link." (Conjuring Credits).

Well, if you refer to it as "a trick" you can kiss the gravitas goodbye.

Well, I beg to differ on that - but I'd be interested to hear your reasoning on another thread. Perhaps start one in Food for Thought?

Nice post Terrible Wizard. How is your jumping link coming along? By the way, I have always like using the term "effects" rather than "tricks."

Pretty much there - thanks for asking! . I'd say I hit about 90% of the time first time, and if not first time then sure the second. Still working on getting it 100% and looking super-smooth.

Effects, tricks - I think Dick Oslund might have something to say about the distinction

90% wow that's impressive. Your rings must be pretty beat up by now. I actually have two sets, one for practice and one for performing. I guess my post is getting off topic since the thread is on the history of the ninja rings. Sorry about that.

No worries . Yeah about the beat up thing - an awful lot of the black has gone, lots of metal shining through! And I've bruised my finger too many times ... But it's worth it! Told ha I was a stubborn guy

Thank you so much for writing all these. I owned Shoot's Ninha Rings for more than 5 years now ans I have never performed it in my daily routine. I have only practiced it. But after reading this, it has given me enough push to bring it to the public.

Thank you for writing this.

Interesting, no mention of Dan Flesman - he released a very nice routine with 5 inch rings, in the 1990s. Believe he studied under the same mentor Sboot had.