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

In 1848, a camera for daguerreotype was imported by a Dutch ship to Japan. It is said that this was the first camera in Japan. During the Edo era, import and export had been prohibited by the Edo Government, except that only Dutch ships were permitted to export and import various goods at Nagasaki Port. Hence, the first camera was introduced at Nagasaki. This camera was imported by Ueno Toshinojō and in 1849 passed to Shimazu Nariakira, who later would become a feudal lord of the Satsuma Domain.
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 and Ujuku Hikoemon . This is said to be the first photograph taken by a Japanese person that still exists and can be seen at the Shōko Shūseikan.
In 1854, the Convention of Kanagawa was concluded between the U.S. and Japan. The Anglo-Japanese Friendship Treaty was concluded between Britain and Japan, and the Treaty of Shimoda was concluded between Russia and Japan. The treaties opened the Japanese ports of Shimoda, Hakodate and Nagasaki to trade. In 1858, the Treaty of Amity and Commerce (United States – Japan) was concluded between the U.S. and Japan and opened the port of Kanagawa. But soon the port of Yokohama, which is close to Kanagawa, opened for trade with foreign countries in exchange for the port of Kanagawa. The trade based on these treaties began in 1858 at Yokohama, Nagasaki and Hakodate. This is opening is called Kaikoku in the Japanese language. Thanks to Kaikoku, more and more cameras and other photography-related equipment and materials were imported to Japan. Furthermore, some foreign photographers, such as Felix Beato came to Japan and took many photographs of Japan.
In 1862, Ueno Hikoma opened his photo studio in Nagasaki and in the same year Shimooka Renjo opened his own photo studio in Noge. The opening of these two portrait studios indicated a new era in Japanese photography.

Professional photographers in the Meiji era

After the opening of the Ueno Studio and the Shimooka Studio, around the turning point between the Edo era and Meiji era, several new photo studios were opened, such as that of Kuichi Uchida in 1865 in Osaka and moved in 1866 to Yokohama; that of Yohei Hori in 1865 in Kyoto, that of Kōkichi Kizu in 1866 in Hakodate, that of Rihei Tomishige in Yanagawa, and that of Yokoyama Matsusaburō in Chikugo in 1866.
Among these photographers, Uchida Kuichi is most famous for his photographs of the Meiji Emperor in 1872 and 1873, which photographs have been called Goshin'ei and were used as public portraits of the Meiji Emperor. "真" means "true" and "影" means " image" or "portrait" and "御" means the honorific prefix for "真影". In the Meiji era, only very few persons, such as prime ministers, could meet the Meiji Emperor in person and most Japanese people at that time had no chance to see him. But the Meiji Emperor's image was necessary for him to govern Japan and Japanese nations. Therefore, the Meiji Government prepared "御真影" and used "御真影" for the Emperor's governance and for the Meiji Government's governance.
Among other photographers, Kakoku Shima and Ryū Shima should be mentioned. They were a husband and a wife and began taking pictures together around 1863 or 1864. Ryū Shima was called the first woman professional photographer.
Further, between the 1860s and 1900, the genre of "Yokohama-shashin" was very popular. Yokohama-shashin showed Japanese scenery, Japanese people and Japanese culture. These images were very widely used as souvenirs, especially among foreigners. Among photographers for Yokohama-shashin, Felix Beato and Kusakabe Kimbei were very famous.
Because of Kaikoku, many foreign people came to Japan. Further, after the Meiji Ishin, many Japanese were able to travel within Japan without breaking laws and thus began domestic leisure and business travel. Yokohama was an attractive meeting place for foreigners and for Japanese, and Yokohama-shashin attracted such travellers very much.
Two main characteristics of Yokohama-shashin were:

well-decorated album-style photographs, and
hand-colored photographs

But towards the end of the 19th century, picture postcards, 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 their own pictures rather than to buy expensive Yokohama-shashin. These were the major reasons for Yokohama-shashin to decline.
In the 1880s, photographers in a new generation began their creating new kinds of pictures. Reiji Esaki, who took photographs of an experimental torpedo explosion in the Sumida River in 1883, and Kazuma Ogawa, who not only took photographs but also was the manager of a printing factory, were particularly famous in this generation.
In the 1860s and 1870s, many photographs of Hokkaidō were taken. These were called Hokkaidō Kaitaku Shashin. Hokkaidō in those years was being developed 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 progress in Hokkaidō. Such photographers included Tamoto Kenzō, Kōkichi Ida, Raimund von Stillfried-Ratenicz, Seiichi Takebayashi and Sakuma Hanzō.

Emerging amateur photographers

Around the middle of the 1880s, photographers began to use gelatin dry plates very widely. Before this, the wet collodion process was the standard process in Japan. But it was technically difficult and also was expensive. That is why few amateur photographers can be seen before the invention of gelatin dry plates.
Two famous examples early amateur photographers in Japan are:

Kamei Koreaki, who was a count and studied aesthetics in England and Germany, took photographs of the Sino-Japanese War in 1895.
Kajima Seibei took many photographs in the 1890s, such as a life-size portrait of Manzaburō Umewaka and a big-size photograph of Mt. Fuji.

The widespread availability 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 who is included in "The History of Japanese Photography"

20th century

Era of ''Geijutsushashin'' (Era of Pictorialism)

In 1904, Yūtsuzu-sha was founded by Tetsusuke Akiyama, Seiichi Katō and other photographers.
In 1904, Naniwa Photography Club was founded in Osaka.
In 1907, Tokyo Photographic Research Society was founded in Tokyo.
In 1912, Aiyū Photography Club was founded in Nagoya and Chotaro Hidaka, Aitarō Masuko and Matsutaro Ohashi actively made photographs as a member of this Club.
In 1912, Yonin Kai was founded by Yasuzō Nojima and other three photographers.
In 1921, Shashin Geijutsu Sha was founded and the first issue of Shashin Geijutsu was published by Shinzō Fukuhara, Rosō Fukuhara and other photographers.
In 1922, Japan Photographic Art Association was founded by Hakuyō Fuchikami and the first issue of Hakuyō was published.
In 1922, the first issue of Geijutsu Shashin Kenkyū was published.
In 1922, a photographic monograph Paris et la Seine, Paris and the Seine and in 1923, another monograph, Light and its Euphony were published by Shinzō Fukuhara.
In the early 1920s, ves-tan school was formed by Masataka Takayama, Makihiko Yamamoto and Jun Watanabe.

Era of ''Shinkōshashin'' (Era of New Photography)

In the early and mid-1920s, there appeared some photographic tendencies called constructivism school within Nihon Kōga Geijutsu Kyōkai members, for example, in Hakuyō Fuchikami's works.
In 1923, the first issue of Asahi Graph was published.
In 1923, there occurred Kantō Great Earthquake.
In 1924, the first issue of Photo Times was published.
In 1926, the first issue of Asahi Camera was published.
In 1927, Iwata Nakayama returned to Japan after several years in the U.S. and Europe,
In 1930, Tampei Photography Club was founded by Bizan Ueda and other photographers and later Nakaji Yasui entered this Club.
In 1930, Ashiya Camera Club was founded by Iwata Nakayama, Kambei Hanaya and other photographers.
In 1930, New Photography Research Society was founded and the first issue of Shinko Shashin Kenkyū was published by Sen'ichi Kimura.
1931: German International Traveling Photography Exhibition was held in Tokyo and Osaka .
In 1932, the first issue of Kōga was published by Yasuzō Nojima, Iwata Nakayama and Ihee Kimura.
In 1932, Manchuria Photographic Artists Association was founded and in 1933, Manshū Graph was published by Hakuyō Fuchikami.
In 1932, a photographic monograph, Camera, Eye x Iron, Construction was published by Masao Horino.
In 1933, a photographic monograph, Early Summer Nerves was published by Kiyoshi Koishi.
In 1936, a photographic monograph, the Reason for Sleep was published by Ei-Q.
In 1937, Avant-Garde Image Group was founded by Gingo Hanawa, Terushichi Hirai and other photographers.
In 1938, Avant-Garde Photography Association was founded by Shūzo Takiguchi and some photographers.
In 1939, Nagoya Photo Avant-Garde was founded by Minoru Sakata, Kansuke Yamamoto and other photographers.
In 1939, Société IRF was founded in Fukuoka by Wataru Takahashi and other photographers.
In 1940, a photographic monograph, Mesembryanthemum was published by Yoshio Shimozato.
In 1940, a photographic monograph, Light 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 was founded by Yōnosuke Natori, but in 1934 most of main members other than Natori has left Nippon Kobo and founded Chūō Kōbō. 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 was published.
In 1941, Tōhōsha was founded.
In 1942, the first issue of Front was published by Tōhōsha.

After WWII, there appeared the era of Hōdōshashin again, mainly led by Ken Domon, Ihee Kimura and Yōnosuke Natori, 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.

21st century

In the 21st century, Japanese photography has shifted towards digital innovation and social documentary. The era is marked by the emergence of influential female photographers and the global recognition of contemporary artists such as Rinko Kawauchi and Mika Ninagawa, who explore themes of everyday life and vibrant aesthetics.