Photography in Japan

The history of photography in Japan begins in the 19th century and has continued to be a prominent art form into the present era.

19th-century

Importation of photography

Ichiki's daguerreotype of Shimazu Nariakira, the earliest surviving Japanese photograph

In 1848 (Edo era), a camera for daguerréotype was imported by a Dutch ship to Japan (Nagasaki, 長崎ながさき). It is said that this was the first camera in Japan. During Edo era, the import and the export had been prohibited (sakoku, 鎖国さこく) by the Edo Government (Edobakufu, 江戸えど幕府ばくふ), except that only Dutch ships had been permitted to export and import various goods at Nagasaki Port. Therefore, the first camera was introduced at Nagasaki. This camera was imported by Ueno Toshinojō (1790–1851, 上野うえの俊之丞としのじょう) and in 1849 passed to Shimazu Nariakira (1809–1858, 島津しまつ斉彬なりあきら), who later would become a feudal lord (daimyō, 大名だいみょう) of Satsuma Domain (薩摩さつま藩はん, now Kagoshima-ken).

In Satsuma Domain, detailed study with respect to photography had been done, but it took almost ten years from the acquisition of the first camera to taking the first photograph. In 1857, Shimazu Nariakira's photograph was taken by Ichiki Shirō (1828–1903, 市来いちき四郎しろう) and Ujuku Hikoemon (宇宿うしゅく彦右衛門えもん) (daguerréotype). This is said to be the first photograph taken by Japanese and still exist and can be seen at Shōko Shūseikan (尚古しょうこ集成しゅうせい館かん, Kagoshima-city, Japan).

Self-portrait of Ueno Hikoma, c. 1870s

In 1854, Convention of Kanagawa (日米にちべい和親わしん条約じょうやく, Nichi-Bei Washin Jōyaku, "America-Japan Treaty of Amity and Friendship") was concluded between U.S. and Japan, Anglo-Japanese Friendship Treaty (日にち英えい和親わしん条約じょうやく, Nichi-Ei Washin Jōyaku) was concluded between Britain and Japan, and Treaty of Shimoda (日にち露ろ和親わしん条約じょうやく, Nichi-Ro Washin Jōyaku) was concluded between Russia and Japan. The treaties opened the Japanese ports of Shimoda (in Shizuoka Prefecture), Hakodate (in Hokkaido Prefecture) and Nagasaki to the trade. In 1858, Treaty of Amity and Commerce (United States – Japan) (日米にちべい修好しゅうこう通商つうしょう条約じょうやく).was concluded between U.S. and Japan and opened the port of Kanagawa, but soon the port of Yokohama (横浜よこはま), which is close to Kanagawa, opened for the trade with foreign countries in exchange to the port of Kanagawa. The trade based on these treaties began in 1858 at Yokohama, Nagasaki and Hakodate. This is called Kaikoku (開国かいこく, to open the nation for foreign countries and trades) in Japanese language. Thanks to Kaikoku, more and more cameras and other photography-related equipment and materials had been imported to Japan. Further some foreign photographers, such as Felix Beato came to Japan and took many photographs of Japan.

In 1862, Ueno Hikoma (1838–1904, 上野うえの彦馬ひこま) opened his photo studio in Nagasaki and Shimooka Renjo (1823–1914, 下岡しもおか蓮杖れんじょう) opened his photo studio in Noge (野毛のげ, soon later included within Yokohama), in the same year, but independently. The open of these two photo studios for portraits indicated the new era of Japanese photography.

Professional photographers in the Meiji era

After the opening of Ueno Studio and Shimooka Studio, around the turning point between Edo Era and Meiji Era (1868), several new photo studios were opened, such as that of Kuichi Uchida (1844–1875, 内田うちだ九きゅう一いち) in 1865 in Osaka and in 1866 moved to Yokohama, that of Yohei Hori (or HORI Masumi, 1826–1880, 堀ほり与兵衛よへえ (堀ほり真澄ますみ)) in 1865 in Kyoto, that of Kōkichi Kizu (1830–1895, 木津きづ幸吉こうきち) in 1866 in Hakodate, that of Rihei Tomishige (1837–1922, 冨とみ重じゅう利平りへい) in Yanagawa, Chikugo in 1866 and that of Yokoyama Matsusaburō (1838–1884, 横山よこやま松三郎まつさぶろう).

Portrait of the Meiji Emperor (御真影ごしんえい) by Uchida Kuichi, 1873. Albumen silver print

Among these photographers (Shashin-shi, 写真しゃしん師し), Uchida Kuichi is most famous for his photographs of Meiji Emperor (明治天皇めいじてんのう) in 1872 and 1873, which photographs have been called Goshin'ei (御真影ごしんえい) and were used as public portraits of Meiji Emperor. "真しん(shin)" means "true" and "影かげ(ei)" means "(photographic) image" or "portrait" and "御お(go)" means honorific prefix for "真影しんえい". In Meiji Era, only very limited persons, such as prime ministers, could meet Meiji Emperor in person and most Japanese people in Meiji Era had no chance to see Meiji Emperor. But Meiji Emperor's image was necessary for him to govern Japan and Japanese nations. Therefore, Meiji Government prepared "御真影ごしんえい" and used "御真影ごしんえい" for Emperor's governance and Meiji Government's governance.

As other photographers, Kakoku Shima (1827–1870島とう霞かすみ谷たに) and Ryū Shima (1823–1899, 島しま隆たかし) should be mentioned. They were a husband and a wife and began taking photography together around 1863 or 1864, and Ryū Shima was called the first woman professional photographer.

Further, around the 1860s and 1900, Yokohama-shashin (Yokohama Photo, Photographs selling or distributing in Yokohama, 横浜よこはま写真しゃしん) was very popular. Yokohama-shashin was a photograph of Japanese scenery, Japanese people (especially Japanese women) and Japanese cultures and a very widely used souvenir especially for foreign people. Among photographers for Yokohama-shashin, Felix Beato and Kusakabe Kimbei (1841–1934, 日下部くさかべ金きむ兵衛ひょうえ) were very famous.

Country Children. Hand-coloured albumen silver print, by Kusakabe Kimbei

Because of Kaikoku, many foreign people came to Japan. Further, after Meiji Ishin (Meiji Government was established in 1868), many Japanese were able to travel within Japan without breaking laws and began to travel within Japan. Yokohama was a suitable place to visit both for foreign people and Japanese people, and Yokohama-shashin attracted such travellers very much.

Two main characteristics of Yokohama-shashin were;

1. a well-decorated album-style photographs, and
2. hand-colored photographs.

But towards the end of the 19th century, picture post cards, which were much cheaper than Yokohama-shashin, became very popular and were widely used in Japan, and many amateur photographers were emerging, who liked to take pictures by themselves than to buy expensive Yokohama-shashin. These were the major reasons for Yokohama-shashin to decline.

In the 1880s, photographers in a new generation and new types began their activities. Reiji Esaki (1845–1910, 江崎えざき礼二れいじ), who took photographs of experimental torpedo explosion in Sumida river in 1883, and Kazuma Ogawa (1860–1929, 小川おがわ一眞かずまさ), who not only took photographs but also was the managers of a printing factory, were particularly famous among them.

In the 1860s and 1870s, many photographs of Hokkaidō were taken, which photographs are called Hokkaidō Kaitaku Shashin (Photographs of Developments in Hokkaidō, 北海道ほっかいどう開拓かいたく写真しゃしん). In the 1860s and 1870s, Hokkaidō was under the development by the Japanese Government. The Government in Tokyo needed detailed reports of the development in writing, and they thought reports with photographs should be better and the Government requested some photographers to take photographs of the development in Hokkaidō. Such photographers included Tamoto Kenzō (1832–1912, 田本たもと研けん造づくり), Kōkichi Ida (1846–1911, 井田いだ侾吉), Raimund von Stillfried-Ratenicz (1839–1911), Seiichi Takebayashi (1842–1908, 武林たけばやし盛一もりいち) and Sakuma Hanzō (1844–1897, 佐久間さくま範はん造づくり).

Emerging amateur photographers

Around the middle of the 1880s, photographers (写真しゃしん師し) began to use gelatin dry plates very widely. Before the spread of gelatin dry plates, the wet collodion process (湿式しっしきコロジオン法ほう) was ordinary process for photography in Japan and to use this process was very difficult in technical points and also it costs a considerable sum of money. It means almost no amateur photographers can exist without gelatin dry plates.

Two famous examples of earliest amateur photographers in Japan were as follows;

• Kamei Koreaki (1861–1896, 亀井かめい茲明), who was a count and studied aesthetics in England and Germany, took photographs of the Sino-Japanese War (日にち清しん戦争せんそう) in 1895.
• Kajima Seibei (1866–1924, 鹿島かしま清きよし兵衛ひょうえ) took many photographs in the 1890s, such as a life-size portrait of Manzaburō Umewaka (NO (能のう) actor) and a big-size photograph of Mt. Fuji.

Wide spread of gelatin dry plates and small-sized cameras led to the era of prominent amateur photographers in the 20th century in Japan.

Other major photographers

• HASEGAWA Kichijirō (fl. 1870s, 長谷川はせがわ吉次郎きちじろう) who is included in "The History of Japanese Photography" (About this source, please refer to "Further reading" below)

20th century

Era of Geijutsushashin (Era of Pictorialism)

• In 1904, Yūtsuzu-sha (ゆふつヾ社しゃ) was founded by Tetsusuke Akiyama, Seiichi Katō and other photographers.
• In 1904, Naniwa Photography Club (Naniwa Shashin Club, 浪なみ華はな写真しゃしん倶楽部くらぶ) was founded in Osaka.
• In 1907, Tokyo Photographic Research Society (Tokyo Shashin Kenkyūkai, 東京とうきょう写真しゃしん研究けんきゅう会かい) was founded in Tokyo.
• In 1912, Aiyū Photography Club (Aiyū Shashin Club, 愛あい友とも写真しゃしん倶楽部くらぶ) was founded in Nagoya and Chotaro Hidaka (1883–1926, 日高ひだか長太郎ちょうたろう), Aitarō Masuko (1882–1968, 益子ましこ愛太郎あいたろう) and Matsutaro Ohashi (1891–1941, 大橋おおはし松太郎まつたろう) actively made photographs as a member of this Club.
• In 1912, Yonin Kai was founded by Yasuzō Nojima (1889–1964, 野島のじま康三やすぞう) and other three photographers.
• In 1921, Shashin Geijutsu Sha (写真しゃしん芸術げいじゅつ社しゃ) was founded and the first issue of Shashin Geijutsu (Photographic Art, 写真しゃしん芸術げいじゅつ) was published by Shinzō Fukuhara (1883–1948, 福原ふくはら信三しんぞう), Rosō Fukuhara (1892–1946, 福原ふくはら路ろ草くさ) and other photographers.
• In 1922, Japan Photographic Art Association (Nihon Kōga Geijutsu Kyōkai, 日本にっぽん光画こうが芸術げいじゅつ協会きょうかい) was founded by Hakuyō Fuchikami (1889–1960, 淵上ふちがみ白はく陽よう) and the first issue of Hakuyō (白はく陽よう) was published.
• In 1922, the first issue of Geijutsu Shashin Kenkyū (Art Photography Studies, 芸術げいじゅつ写真しゃしん研究けんきゅう) was published.
• In 1922, a photographic monograph Paris et la Seine, Paris and the Seine (Pari to Seinu, 巴里ぱりとセイヌ) and in 1923, another monograph, Light and its Euphony (Hikari to sone Kaichō, 光ひかりと其諧調ちょう) were published by Shinzō Fukuhara.
• In the early 1920s, ves-tan school (ベス単たん派は) was formed by Masataka Takayama (1895–1981, 高山たかやま正隆まさたか), Makihiko Yamamoto (1893–1985, 山本やまもと牧まき彦) and Jun Watanabe.

Era of Shinkōshashin (Era of New Photography)

• In the early and mid-1920s, there appeared some photographic tendencies called constructivism school (構成こうせい派は) within Nihon Kōga Geijutsu Kyōkai members, for example, in Hakuyō Fuchikami's works.
• In 1923, the first issue of Asahi Graph (The Asahigraph Weekly, アサヒグラフ) was published.
• In 1923, there occurred Kantō Great Earthquake (Kantō Daishinsai, 関東大震災かんとうだいしんさい).
• In 1924, the first issue of Photo Times (フォトタイムス) was published.
• In 1926, the first issue of Asahi Camera (アサヒカメラ) was published.
• In 1927, Iwata Nakayama returned to Japan after several years in the U.S. and Europe,
• In 1930, Tampei Photography Club (Tampei Shashin Club) (February 1930-c. 1941, Osaka) (丹たん平ひら写真しゃしん倶楽部くらぶ) was founded by Bizan Ueda and other photographers and later Nakaji Yasui (1903–1942, 安井やすい仲治なかじ) entered this Club.
• In 1930, Ashiya Camera Club (芦屋あしやカメラクラブ) was founded by Iwata Nakayama (1895–1949, 中山なかやま岩いわ太ふとし), Kambei Hanaya (1903–1991, ハナヤ勘兵衛かんべえ) and other photographers.
• In 1930, New Photography Research Society (Shinko Shashin Kenkyūkai, 新興しんこう写真しゃしん研究けんきゅう会かい) was founded and the first issue of Shinko Shashin Kenkyū (New Photography Studies, 新興しんこう写真しゃしん研究けんきゅう) was published by Sen'ichi Kimura.
• 1931: German International Traveling Photography Exhibition (独逸どいつ国際こくさい移動いどう写真しゃしん展てん, Doitsu Kokusai Idō Shashin Ten; This was a traveling exhibition of "Film und Foto" in Stuttgart, Germany in 1929) was held in Tokyo [April] and Osaka [July].
• In 1932, the first issue of Kōga (Photography, 光画こうが) was published by Yasuzō Nojima, Iwata Nakayama and Ihee Kimura (or Ihei Kimura).
• In 1932, Manchuria Photographic Artists Association (Manshū Shashin Sakka Kyōkai) (満まん洲しゅう写真しゃしん作家さっか協会きょうかい) was founded and in 1933, Manshū Graph (Pictorial Manchuria, 満まん洲しまグラフ) was published by Hakuyō Fuchikami.
• In 1932, a photographic monograph, Camera, Eye x Iron, Construction (Camera, Me x Tetsu Kōsei, カメラ・眼め×鉄てつ・構成こうせい) was published by Masao Horino (1907–1999, 堀野ほりの正雄まさお).
• In 1933, a photographic monograph, Early Summer Nerves (Shoka Shinkei, 初夏しょか神経しんけい) was published by Kiyoshi Koishi (1908–1957, 小石こいし清きよし).
• In 1936, a photographic monograph, the Reason for Sleep (Nemuri no Riyū, 眠ねむりの理由りゆう) was published by Ei-Q.
• In 1937, Avant-Garde Image Group (Avant-Garde Zōei Shūdan, アヴァンギャルド造影ぞうえい集団しゅうだん) was founded by Gingo Hanawa (1894–1957, 花和はなわ銀ぎん吾われ), Terushichi Hirai (1900–1970, 平井ひらい輝あきら七なな) and other photographers.
• In 1938, Avant-Garde Photography Association (Zen'ei Shashin Kyōkai, 前衛ぜんえい写真しゃしん協会きょうかい) was founded by Shūzo Takiguchi and some photographers.
• In 1939, Nagoya Photo Avant-Garde (名古屋なごやフォトアバンガルド) was founded by Minoru Sakata (1902–1974, 坂田さかた稔みのる), Kansuke Yamamoto (1914–1987, 山本やまもと悍右) and other photographers.
• In 1939, Société IRF (ソシエテ・イルフ) was founded in Fukuoka by Wataru Takahashi (1900–1944, 高橋たかはし渡わたる) and other photographers.
• In 1940, a photographic monograph, Mesembryanthemum ("Mesem Zoku", メセム属ぞく) was published by Yoshio Shimozato.
• In 1940, a photographic monograph, Light ("Hikari", 光こう) was published by Tampei Shashin Club.
• In 1942, Nakaji Yasui died.

Era of Hōdōshashin (Era of Photojournalism)

• In 1932, Yōnosuke Natori returned to Japan from Germany as a correspondent photographer of Ullstein-Verlag.
• In 1933, Nippon Kōbō (Japan Studio, 日本にっぽん工房こうぼう) was founded by Yōnosuke Natori, but in 1934 most of main members other than Natori has left Nippon Kobo and founded Chūō Kōbō (Metropolitan Studio, 中央ちゅうおう工房こうぼう). Then Natori reorganized Nippon Kōbō.
• In 1934, the first issue of Nippon was published by Nippon Kōbō.
• In 1938, the first issue of Shashin Shūhō (Photo Weekly, 写真しゃしん週報しゅうほう) was published.
• In 1941, Tōhōsha (Far East Company, 東方とうほう社しゃ) was founded.
• In 1942, the first issue of Front was published by Tōhōsha.

After WWII, there appeared the era of Hōdōshashin (era of photojournalism) again, mainly led by Ken Domon (1909–1990, 土門どもん拳けん), Ihee Kimura (Ihei Kimura, 1901–1974, 木村きむら伊兵衛いへえ) and Yōnosuke Natori (1910–1962, 名取なとり洋之助ようのすけ), all of three were very active even during WWII. Avant-garde photography including surrealism and pictorialism photography had almost disappeared behind photojournalism after WWII because photography other than photojournalism which supported Japanese government and Japanese military powers was completely oppressed by the Japanese government during WWII. It took several years before avant-garde photography came back to the stage of the history of Japanese photography.

Further reading

• The History of Japanese Photography, The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Yale University Press, 2003, ISBN 0300099258
• Modern Photography in Japan 1915–1940, 2001, ISBN 0933286740