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.

This fascinating Japanese photography book features over 140 images taken between 1853 and 1905 by the most important local and foreign photographers then working in Japan. Almost one-fourth of the images are hand colored, superb examples of a rich art form long since vanished. The Japan of this book too has disappeared, but author and compiler Terry Bennett has put together a unique portrait of the country at perhaps its most decisive turning point, a nation about to abandon its traditional ways and enter the modern age. Important features of Early Japanese Images include the following: A historical overview of the years 1853-1912 The story of early Western photographers in Japan The story of early Japanese photographers Over 100 images reproduced in original sepia tones Over 40 images reproduced as originally handcolored An invaluable index that identifies the photographers

This beautifully designed book is a celebration of one of the world's most creative, dynamic and fascinating cities: Tokyo. It spans 400 years, with highlights including Kano school paintings; the iconic woodblock prints of Hiroshige; Tokyo Pop Art posters; the photography of Moriyama Daido and Ninagawa Mika; manga; film; and contemporary art by Murakami Takashi and Aida Makoto. Visually bold and richly detailed, this publication looks at a city which has undergone constant destruction and renewal and it tells the stories of the people who have made Tokyo so famous with their insatiable appetite for the new and innovative - from the samurai to avantgarde artists today. Co-edited by Japanese art specialists and curators Lena Fritsch and Clare Pollard from Oxford University, this accessible volume features 28 texts by international experts of Japanese culture, as well as original statements by influential artists.

The fascinating life and work of an artist who captured some of the first photographs of the Far East are presented in this gorgeous volume.

The Encyclopedia of Nineteenth-Century Photography is the first comprehensive encyclopedia of world photography up to the beginning of the twentieth century. It sets out to be the standard, definitive reference work on the subject for years to come. Its coverage is global – an important ‘first’ in that authorities from all over the world have contributed their expertise and scholarship towards making this a truly comprehensive publication. The Encyclopedia presents new and ground-breaking research alongside accounts of the major established figures in the nineteenth century arena. Coverage includes all the key people, processes, equipment, movements, styles, debates and groupings which helped photography develop from being ‘a solution in search of a problem’ when first invented, to the essential communication tool, creative medium, and recorder of everyday life which it had become by the dawn of the twentieth century. The sheer breadth of coverage in the 1200 essays makes the Encyclopedia of Nineteenth-Century Photography an essential reference source for academics, students, researchers and libraries worldwide.

Early Japanese Railways 1853-1914 is a cultural and engineering history of railway building in Japan during the Meiji era. The importance of early railways in the industrialization of the United States and Europe is a fact all of us are familiar with. To witness the amazing parallel development of the railways in Japan, happening at much the same time as America was connecting its vast hinterland to the East and West coasts, is an eye-opening realization. Early Japanese Railways, tells the fascinating story of the rise of Japanese rail amidst a period of rapid modernization during Japan's Meiji era. Leaving behind centuries of stagnation and isolation, Japan would emerge into the 20th century as a leading modern industrialized state. The development of the railways was a significant factor in the cultural and technological development of Japan during this pivotal period. Free's rare photographic and historical materials concerning Japan's early railways, including a print showing the miniature steam engine brought to Japan by Admiral Perry aboard his "Black Ships" to demonstrate American superiority, combine to form a richly detailed account that will appeal to students of Japanese history and railway buffs alike. This one-of-a-kind book, Early Japanese Railways 1853-1914, illuminates for non-Japanese-speaking readers the early history of Japanese railroads and in the process the fascinating story of Japan's prewar industrial modernization. Anyone interested in train history or model trains will find this book a fascinating read.

Accompanies an exhibition held at the J. Paul Getty Museum, 8 February-1 May 2011.

Unique portraits of Japanese photography fanatics and their gear from the trendsetting Tokyo Camera Style blog Founded in 2008, John Sypal’s blog, Tokyo Camera Style, has a devoted and passionate international following and has inspired a network of similar blogs worldwide. In street portraits taken on the fly, we see Tokyo’s film-camera enthusiasts posing with their favorite photographic equipment. The images not only catalog the amazing range of cameras used by the most obsessive photography geeks but also offer a glimpse into a street culture where the photograph means everything and the camera takes center stage. Now, 300 of Sypal’s colorful photographs of weird and wonderful cameras and their creative owners have been gathered together in a one-of-a-kind book. Often taken from above, with the camera owners’ faces out of view, the images show telling details that might otherwise have been missed: the clothes, the jewelry, hands and feet, shoes and socks, customized camera straps, and other photography-related paraphernalia. Beyond the wonderful selection of rare, customized, and vintage analog camera makes, models, and lenses are portraits of the individual personalities who make up the avid street photography scene in Japan.

Excerpt from Illustrations of Japanese Life In Pfcpafing this volume neither labour nor expense has spared: and I send it out to the public feeling mandent that no such gallery of photographs, giving the exact picture of every day life of the Japanese. Has ever been presented before in one volume. Being printed by the collotype process, which has of late become very popular. The pictures herein contained are true to nature and free from any retouches by the artist. Moreover. Unlike ordinary photographs, these collotype pictures are really permanent, in the sense that they will not fade in any length of time. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

During the brief Meiji period, Japan underwent am astonishing metamorphosis from feudal state to modern industrial and military power. The national policy of isolationism, sakoku, initiated in 1639, was abruptly challenged in 1853 when Commodore Matthew C. Perry sailed into Tokyo Bay with four awe-inspiring iron vessels, locally known as "black ships." Forced into trade treaties, the Japanese state rushed to modernize under the enlightened leadership of Emperor Meiji.The popular woodblock prints of the Meiji period were snapshots of a modern society in the making. Those reproduced in Japan Awakens, all from the collection of the Art Gallery of Greater Victoria, show everything from political events and wars to intimate domestic scenes. Three thematic essays by Barry Till trace the links between the revival of imperial rule and forces both national and international, connecting formal and aesthetic changes in fine-art prints to these events.