spotlight
Empire of Color (2)
How 19th century Japanese artists mastered the art of hand colored photography. PART 2: Color as a competitive tool.
spotlight
spotlight
Empire of Color (1)
How 19th century Japanese artists mastered the art of hand colored photography. PART 1: How photography reached Japan.
spotlight
Smoking the Kiseru
Japanese potter and former Living National Treasure Sakaida Kakiemon XIV on smoking the kiseru.
Studio 1880s
The Way of the Kiseru
A Japanese farmer holds a kiseru (煙管). The tiny pipe offered only two to three puffs, yet it reigned for over three centuries. It was embraced by all classes of Japanese society, even crossing gender boundaries.
Kobe 1906
"The New Year in Japan"
A young woman paints the face of a boy who lost in the card game of karuta. Photographer Teijiro Takagi photographed this scene in Kobe in 1906 (Meiji 39) for a photo book about Japanese New Year celebrations. This article reproduces his book.
Nagasaki 1865
Dejima Island
A rare early photograph of Dejima, the fan-shaped artificial island in Nagasaki. Dejima played a critical—but now largely forgotten—role in the opening of Japan to the outside world.