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When Emperor Meiji began his rule, in 1867, Japan was a splintered empire, dominated by the shogun and the daimyos, who ruled over the country’s more than 250 decentralized domains and who were, in the main, cut off from the outside world, staunchly antiforeign, and committed to the traditions of the past. Before long, the shogun surrendered to the emperor, a new constitution was adopted, and Japan emerged as a modern, industrialized state.
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1910s • Family in Formal Wear
Ceremonial Taisho era photo of a family in formal wear for family members’ fiftieth wedding anniversary (金婚記念, kinkon kinen). This photo comes from an album with 9 photographs. The accordion type album is covered in beautiful green textile stamped with golden characters that read kinkon kinen.
On the first page is a photo of a text written in graceful calligraphy followed by a photograph of an elderly couple, very clearly the couple that is celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary. In the following pages are photographs of their children and grandchildren, including this one. Most probably each family shown in the photographs received one of these little albums.
An interesting detail is the subtitle printed below kinkon kinen. It reads Album of Turtle and Crane, expressing the family’s wish for a long life.
A charming window into this family’s celebration of an important event.
Publisher: Unknown
Medium: Silver Gelatin Print
Image Number 70126-0021
Quote this number when you contact us about licensing this image.
You can also licence this image online: 70126-0021 @ MeijiShowa.com.
IMPORTANT
Usage of this image requires a reproduction fee.
Duits, K. (2008, April 21). 1910s • Family in Formal Wear, Old Photos of Japan. Retrieved on 2021, Apr 16 from https://www.oldphotosjapan.com/photos/161/family-in-formal-wear-01
OldPhotosJapan.com — a photo blog about old Japan that reads like a book and works like an archive. All the photographs are from the Kjeld Duits Collection and available for licensing at MeijiShowa.com. Use when you need historical photos, maps or illustrations of Japan for your newspaper article, book, documentary, advertising or other project. For questions, contact us.