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1890s
Doctor Taking Pulse

A bald-headed doctor is taking a patient’s pulse. During the Edo (1603-1868) and early Meiji Period (1868-1912), Japanese physicians shaved heir heads.

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Osaka 1909
Great Kita Fire

On July 31, 1909 (Meiji 42) a fire broke out at a knit-wear factory in the northern part of Osaka that would continue to rage for 24 hours. It destroyed 122 ha. (301 acres) of the city, the equivalent of 228 football fields.

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Nikko 1890s
Yumoto

A view of Lake Yunoko (湯の湖) and the hot spring hotels of Yumoto (湯元), near Nikko in Tochigi Prefecture.

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Osaka 1900s
Osaka Station

This glass slide shows the second Osaka Station in all of its glory. Opened in July 1901 (Meiji 34), the Gothic style building was two stories high and built of granite, giving it a massive and imposing look.

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Osaka 1870s
The Octopus Pine

This very rare image shows the Tako no Matsu (鮹之松, Octopus Pine) at Osaka’s Nakanoshima. The tree was so famous, ukiyoe woodblock prints and guidebooks celebrated it.

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Osaka 1920s
Osaka City Hall

Osaka City Hall in Nakanoshima. Built between 1918 (Taisho 7) and 1921 (Taisho 10), Osaka City Hall was designed by representative Meiji Era architects like Yasushi Kataoka, Hikotaro Imabayashi and others, who followed an original design by Yokichi Ogawa.