The Burden of Youth (4)
I had seen pictures/depictions of komori but didn’t understand the cultural context. I really appreciate this article laying it out so clearly, especially with the more realistic black and white photos.
Bentenbashi and Station
I think for now I will leave it as is. I guess one would need to get his hands on some newspapers or municipal documents of the time to investigate the case thoroughly.
Thank you for bringing the Kanazawa post-completion photo to my attention. I do have it in my digital archive, but up till now I’ve never looked at it so closely.
I’ve recently finished analyzing the visual evolution of the Hyakudan area and the Railway Station came next. The photogrpahs in the “The Far East” (1872) show the surroundings of the station as highly underdeveloped. There aren’t many images taken from the Bentenbashi perspective or showing that side of the station, which makes the visual verification more difficult. There are two photos taken after 1873 (the arch-shaped corridor connecting the second floors of the two station buildings is visible) – one might be by Suzuki Shinichi, the other probably by Usui Shusaburo – that don’t include any utility poles, just gas lamps. The other available images are most likely from the 1880s, but are quite similar to Uchida’s, therefore it might suggest the area didn’t progress significantly during those years. These are just some random ideas of mine.
Then I came up with another aproach – the Bentenbashi leads to Honmachi-dori, so the telegraph lines seen in the photo should be connected to the utility poles on that street. I found literally one example that might be pre-1880. The other photographs of locations on Honmachi-dori that feature any single-line utility pole are certainly post-1875, most of them from the 1880s-1890s.
To summarise – this photograph is giving me a headache.
Ten years later and I’ve returned to raise some doubts about the provenance of the article’s main photo. I know it is a popular image of the Yokohama Railway Station, featured both in Terry Bennett’s book, as well as in the Nagasaki Database, which states it is part of a Uchida Kuichi’s Album. But is it really Uchida’s work? He died in 1875, however isn’t the area captured in the photo a little too much “electrical”? Especially the multi-level utility poles to the right. I thought that electrification of Yokohama was around mid-1880s.
Rare Photos of the Hiroshima Atomic Bombing
While in the Marines I had the opportunity to visit Peace Park. It was a heartbreaking place to see and witness what war does ! What humans are capable of doing to each other!
View on Kobe from Mt. Takatori
雲は咲き 森に流れる 湊川
葵は巡り 緑に灯る
kumo wa saki
mori ni nagareru
minatogawa
aoi wa meguri
midori ni tomoru
the harbour’s stream runs
with clouds flowering away
over the trees’ tide
and carries the mallow float
like a lantern in the green
de havenstroom loopt
met de bloeiende wolken
boven de bossen
en draagt de malvedrijver
als een lantaarn in het groen
Nakasendō Highway
朧雲 竜の幻 うねる道
震える木陰 明日を描く
oborogumo
ryu no maboroshi
uneru michi
hurueru kokage
ashita wo egaku
a dragon’s blue ghost
winds and rolls along the path
of uncertain clouds
if the pensive trees tremble
with tomorrow’s memory
een blauwe draakgeest
windt en rolt langs de paden
van twijfelwolken
als de peinzende bomen
van de oude toekomst trillen
Birth of a Nation
晴れの橋 葵の衣 返り咲く
侘び茶の調べ 川面に踊る
hare no hashi
aoi no koromo
kaerizaku
wabicha no shirabe
kawamo ni odoru
On the blissful bridge
mallow’s dresses with spirits
blossom once again
and follow the grey pavane
or the brevity of tea
Op de heldere brug
bloesemen de malvejapon
opnieuw met geesten
en volgen de grijze pavane
of de bondigheid van thee
Human Conveyor Belt (4)
My grandfather had vivid memories of watching young women coal his troop ship in Nagasaki while on their way to the Philippines in 1915. He also spoke about how little food their lunches contained, a small box of rice with vegetables, and how it would sustain them. He was raised on a farm and he knew something about hard labor, and it created a lifelong memory for him.
Nectarine No. 9 Brothel
Yes, I figured you’d know about it. Are you a frequent shopper there?
San-mon Gate at Chionin
姿なく 星さえ果てる 雲の森
水面に響く 八重の山影
sugata naku
hoshi sae hateru
kumo no mori
minamo ni hibiku
yae no yamakage
No shadow twinkles
and every star fades away
in the leafy clouds
if mountains of canticles
always whirl on the water
geen schaduw fonkelt
en de sterren vervagen
in het wolkenbos
als bergen van lofliedjes
op het water warrelen
Shijo Ohashi
花なき児 万の山に 向かう橋
茶屋の彩り 帳を照らす
hana naki ko
yorozu no yama ni
mukau hashi
chaya no irodori
tobari wo terasu
a flowerless child
simply waddles on the bridge
to all spirits’ hill
when the tea shop shines away
against the fog of reverie
een kind zonder bloemen
waggelt gewoon op de brug
naar de geestenheuvel
wanner de theewinkel mistig
tegen de mijmerij wegschijnt
@Melissa Bordeaux: Thank you for your kind words, Melissa. Nobukuni Enami shot the black and white photographs later in his career using a small handheld camera, which allowed for spontaneity and more candid angles. But there is something very special about the hand colored photographs as well. Have your read my series about how Japan mastered hand coloring photographs during the 19th century? No other country could compete. Here is the first in the series: Empire of Color Part 1.