Photography in Japan 1853-1912

Photography in Japan 1853-1912 is an authoritative and unique visual record of Japan's metamorphosis from a feudal society to a modern, industrial nation. The 350 old and rare images in this book, most of them published here for the first time, not only chronicle the introduction of photography in Japan, but also demonstrate how early photographic images are vital in helping to understand the dramatic changes that occurred in Japan during the mid-nineteenth century. Taken between 1853 and 1912 by the most important Japanese and foreign photographers working in Japan, these photographic images, whether sensational or everyday, intimate or panoramic, document a nation about to abandon its traditional ways and enter the modern era. This is the first book to document the history of photography in Japan in a comprehensive and systematic way.