page_title: Photography in Japan
section_title: Professional Photographers in Meiji Era
hierarchical_section_title: Photography in Japan / 19th-century photography / Professional Photographers in Meiji Era
caption_attribution_description: Portrait of the Emperor Meiji. Albumen silver print. Uchida Kuichi was the only photographer granted a sitting by the Emperor Meiji and in 1872 Uchida photographed the Emperor and Empress Haruko in full court dress and everyday robes. In 1873, Uchida again photographed the Emperor, who this time wore military dress, and a photograph from this sitting became the official imperial portrait (Ishii and Iizawa). Copies of the official portrait were distributed among foreign heads of state and Japanese regional governmental offices, but their private sale was prohibited. Nevertheless, many copies of the photograph were made and circulated on the market.
context_page_description: The history of photography in Japan begins in the 19th century and has continued to be a prominent art form into the present era.
context_section_description: 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, 内田九一) in 1865 in Osaka and in 1866 moved to Yokohama, that of Yohei Hori (or HORI Masumi, 1826–1880, 堀与兵衛 (堀真澄)) in 1865 in Kyoto, that of Kōkichi Kizu (1830–1895, 木津幸吉) in 1866 in Hakodate, that of Rihei Tomishige (1837–1922, 冨重利平) in Yanagawa, Chikugo in 1866 and that of Yokoyama Matsusaburō (1838–1884, 横山松三郎).
  Among these photographers (Shishin-shi, 写真師), Uchida Kuichi is most famous for his photographs of Meiji Emperor (明治天皇) in 1872 and 1873, which photographs have been called Goshin'ei (御真影) and were used as public portraits of Meiji Emperor.  "真(shin)" means "true" and "影(ei)" means "(photographic) image" or "portrait" and "御(go)" means honorific prefix for "真影".  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" and used "御真影" for Emperor's governance and Meiji Government's governance.
  As other photographers, Kakoku Shima (1827–1870島霞谷) and Ryū Shima (1823–1899,  島隆) 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, 横浜写真) 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, 日下部金兵衛) were very famous.
  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;
  a well-decorated album-style photographs, and
  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, 江崎礼二), who took photographs of experimental torpedo explosion in Sumida river in 1883, and Kazuma Ogawa (1860–1929, 小川一眞), 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, 北海道開拓写真).  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, 田本研造), Kōkichi Ida (1846–1911, 井田侾吉), Raimund von Stillfried-Ratenicz (1839–1911), Seiichi Takebayashi (1842–1908, 武林盛一) and Sakuma Hanzō (1844–1897, 佐久間範造).
caption: Portrait of the Meiji Emperor (御真影) by Uchida Kuichi, 1873. Albumen silver print
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