shows photos of Japan between the 1860s and 1930s. In 1854, Japan opened its doors to the outside world for the first time in more than 200 years. It set in motion a truly astounding transformation. As fate would have it, photography had just been invented. As the old country vanished and a new one was born, daring photographers took photos. Discover what life was like with their rare and precious photographs of old Japan.

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12/31/2026 (Thursday)

The Adventure of Japanese Photography 1860 - 1890 • Philipp March, Claudia Delank

Some 90 old photographs of Japan by celebrated photographers like Felice Beato, Adolpho Farsari, Hikoma Ueno, Kimbei Kusakabe, Kihei Tamamura and Kazumasa Ogawa. A true treasure.

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Tags: Unknown • Meiji • Kobe • City Views • Shops
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Shops and rickshaws at Motomachi Itchome in Kobe, Hyogo Prefecture Japan. The shop with the elephant is Zouki. It was established in 1875 (Meiji 8) by Kihei Sodeoka. Sodeoka was a ronin, a former samurai, from Satsuma.

Sodeoka left Satsuma and started an ivory business in Kyoto. His shop in Kyoto burnt down in 1868 (Meiji 1) during the Boshin War (1868-1869) and he eventually moved to Kobe where he started a new business.

The name of his shop was derived from the Japanese word for ivory (zouge) and his first name (Kihei).¹

Besides selling ivory, Zouki also sold import goods and was among the first distributors of the Asahi Shimbun when it was launched in 1879 (Meiji 12). Newspapers at this time were not delivered to subscribers, but sold in stores.

As a shop of import goods, Zouki played an important role in Kobe. It was for example the first shop to sell bicycles in this town.

Being a former samurai, Sodeoka appears to not have been really cut out to be a businessman. Samurai were proud people and Sodeoka was no exception. It is said that when customers asked for a discount, he would angrily tell them to leave his shop.

¹ Yasui, Yujiro (2007). Shiru Chikara: Kobe Motomachidori de yomu no sho. Ashiya: Japan Memory, 37, 171, 174. ISBN 978-4-8354-8080-0

Photographer: Unknown
Publisher: Unknown
Medium: Postcard
Image Number: 71006-0006
Quote this number when you contact us about licensing this image

Thumbnail URL: http://oldphotosjapan.com/images/19t.jpg

Posted by Kjeld Duits • 2008-03-05

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