Old Photos of Japan rescues rare images of daily life in old Japan
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Kjeld Duits

Kjeld Duits was born in the Netherlands and has lived in Japan since 1982 (Showa 57). He is the founder of DUITS, a boutique journalism and stock photography agency in Tokyo. Duits has been collecting and researching vintage photographs since 2007 and has worked with museums, documentary makers, publishers, government agencies and other organizations worldwide.

Taiwan Pavilion at the Tokyo Industrial Exhibition of 1907

Tokyo 1907
The Forgotten Horse Races of Ueno Park (3)

Shinobazu Pond at Tokyo's Ueno Park, 1890s

Tokyo 1880s
The Forgotten Horse Races of Ueno Park (2)

Horse race track at Shinobazu Pond in Ueno Park, Tokyo, ca. 1880s

Tokyo 1880s
The Forgotten Horse Races of Ueno Park (1)

spotlight
The Past is Closer than You Think

Many photographs on Old Photos of Japan were shot in the 1880s and 1890s, nearly a century and a half ago. It feels very long ago. But is it?

Japanese farm women harvesting silk cocoons, 1920s

Inside 1920s
"The Silk Industry of Japan" (2)

Japanese farm women selecting matured silkworms, 1920s

Inside 1920s
"The Silk Industry of Japan" (1)

Glass slide by Nobukuni Enami of Japanese silk cocoon traders weighing cocoons, ca. 1900s

Inside 1900s
The Quiet Power of Japanese Silk

Hand colored albumen print by Reiji Esaki of Japanese women transplanting rice seedlings, ca. 1890s

Outside 1890s
Japan's Green Revolution (2)

Dai Nippon Artificial Fertilizer Company in Osaka, 1913

Osaka 1913
Japan's Green Revolution (1)

Manufacturing factory of Nakayama Taiyodo Club Cosmetics in Osaka, 1929

Osaka 1929
Becoming Modern with Face Powder and Caramels

spotlight
Rare Photos of the Hiroshima Atomic Bombing

The Duits Collection holds a number of rare photos taken after the 1945 atomic bombing of Hiroshima. This article briefly explains what makes these images so special. With one exception, it is very unlikely you have seen them before.

The Atomic Bomb Dome, Hiroshima in July, 1947

Hiroshima
Every Day I Thought I Would Die Tomorrow

Japanese siege gun fires during the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05

China 1904
War, Power and Steel

Interior view of Toyobo's Sangenya factory in Osaka, 1929

Osaka 1929
Japan's Cotton Revolution

Aerial photo of Osaka Castle and Arsenal, 1929

Osaka 1929
City of Smoke

spotlight
This Japanese Woman from the 1930s Found Me

With this soft-focused photo of a confident young Japanese woman from the 1930s we take a rare glimpse behind the scenes of the Duits Collection.

Advertising flyer for the New Osaka Hotel, ca. 1935

Osaka 1935
The New Osaka • New Hotel for a New Era

Osaka's Kitahama business district in 1929

Osaka 1929
Nakanoshima: Modern and Vibrant

Osaka City Hall on Nakanoshima, 1929

Osaka 1929
Nakanoshima: Small Island, Big Dreams

Bird's-eye view map of Osaka's Nakanoshima, 1924

Osaka 1924
The Art of Looking Down

Japanese charcoal dealer, 1930s

Outside 1930s
How Japan Kept the Fire Burning

Two Western men are drinking Japanese tea while sitting close to hibachi, 1890s

Inside 1896
Forgotten Shapes of Warmth

Two Japanese women sitting next to a hibachi brazier, 1890s

Studio 1890s
Japan's Mistresses of Fire

A Japanese woman plays the shamisen while seated next to a hibachi

Inside 1910s
Japan's Vanished Portable Fireplaces

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