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Photography in Japan 1853-1912
Photography in Japan 1853-1912 is a fascinating visual record of Japanese culture during its metamorphosis from a feudal society to a modern, industrial nation at a time when the art of photography was still in its infancy. The 350 rare and antique photos in this book, most of them published here for the first time, chronicle the introduction of photography in Japan and early Japanese photography. The images are more than just a history of photography in Japan; they are vital in helping to understand the dramatic changes that occurred in Japan during the mid-nineteenth century.
These rare Japanese photographs—whether sensational or everyday, intimate or panoramic—document a nation about to abandon its traditional ways and enter the modern era. Taken between 1853 and 1912 by the most important Japanese and foreign photographers working in Japan, this is the first book to document the history of early photography in Japan a comprehensive and systematic way.
These rare Japanese photographs—whether sensational or everyday, intimate or panoramic—document a nation about to abandon its traditional ways and enter the modern era. Taken between 1853 and 1912 by the most important Japanese and foreign photographers working in Japan, this is the first book to document the history of early photography in Japan a comprehensive and systematic way.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 3, 2014
The actual text of this book is dull beyond words. It chronicles the various European photographers who first photographed Japan, along with later European and Japanese photographers and their studios. Yep, dull.
The images are magnificent. They show an exotic and beautiful world, now long gone. Narrow winding streets, geisha in full kimonos, castles with rice-paper windows and samurai in their mustached helmets are captured as their country is being engulfed by the west. Check out this marvelous website for some of the images: http://oldphotosjapan.com/en/
The images are magnificent. They show an exotic and beautiful world, now long gone. Narrow winding streets, geisha in full kimonos, castles with rice-paper windows and samurai in their mustached helmets are captured as their country is being engulfed by the west. Check out this marvelous website for some of the images: http://oldphotosjapan.com/en/
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August 20, 2007It's got it all, Japan, photography, what more could you want?!
December 10, 2019
It's a shame some reviewers here clearly need a lot of nice pictures to make it easier for them get through a serious book on photographic history. Far from being a dull writer, Bennett is doing his job as a researcher, and anyway, there are some great stories here alongside the description and analysis. He'd be equally lambasted by other scholars if his text was too superficial. I do agree with what has been said here about the images, though, they are superb. This book is a treasure for anyone interested in the subject.
June 13, 2024
An interesting book on the history of photography in Japan until 1912. The book is exhaustive in the relationship between photographers of the period, with notes on their personal history and the relationship with the respective historical period.
August 5, 2023
This is a very comprehensive book about the history of various individuals who contributed to the development of photography in Japan between the period when Perry arrived to the end of the Meiji era. It’s evidently quite a passion project for the author - the endnotes and appendixes are extensive and goes into detail on some of the photos as well as the individuals who took them.
In between the various biographies of these photographers - both Japanese and non-Japanese - we can see some glimpses of the unfolding of Japan’s opening up and in some cases the role that some of these photographers played.
If your interest is in Japanese history or if you are looking just for pictures of old Japan without the history of the ones who took said pictures, you may need to look elsewhere. I think that the book is catered towards a very specific audience (those interested in the history of photography in Japan), of which I am decidedly not one of them. The pictures while fantastic (especially those showing the pre-industrial Japanese landscape as well as of the Japanese themselves), could have been many more. There are some 350 photos but I felt that these were not sufficient.
That said, if you are interested in knowing in great detail some of the prominent names in Japanese photography history, you will be in for a treat. Even for someone with no knowledge of any of these individuals, I did come away after reading the book much more enriched about who these individuals are and the role that they played. I would personally have preferred it if the biographies could have been intertwined more with the development of Meiji Japan, but I supposed that would be a topic for another book.
I give it 5 stars because of how comprehensive the book is with respects to its subject matter, and the fact is that the photos are gorgeous and almost never seen before (to me at least). But it was really a 4 star read for me.
In between the various biographies of these photographers - both Japanese and non-Japanese - we can see some glimpses of the unfolding of Japan’s opening up and in some cases the role that some of these photographers played.
If your interest is in Japanese history or if you are looking just for pictures of old Japan without the history of the ones who took said pictures, you may need to look elsewhere. I think that the book is catered towards a very specific audience (those interested in the history of photography in Japan), of which I am decidedly not one of them. The pictures while fantastic (especially those showing the pre-industrial Japanese landscape as well as of the Japanese themselves), could have been many more. There are some 350 photos but I felt that these were not sufficient.
That said, if you are interested in knowing in great detail some of the prominent names in Japanese photography history, you will be in for a treat. Even for someone with no knowledge of any of these individuals, I did come away after reading the book much more enriched about who these individuals are and the role that they played. I would personally have preferred it if the biographies could have been intertwined more with the development of Meiji Japan, but I supposed that would be a topic for another book.
I give it 5 stars because of how comprehensive the book is with respects to its subject matter, and the fact is that the photos are gorgeous and almost never seen before (to me at least). But it was really a 4 star read for me.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews