shashasha

In “Teikoku no shashin-shi Ogawa Kazumasa” (“Kazumasa Ogawa – Photographer of the Empire”), Japanese historian Akiko Okatsuka chronicles the life and groundbreaking achievements of Kazumasa Ogawa (1860–1929). As a photography pioneer, business magnate, inventor and the first photographer to be appointed an Imperial Household Artist of the Imperial Court, Ogawa not only photographed Japan during its transformative Meiji and Taisho eras but also left a lasting impact on the entire history of Japanese photography.

“Kazumasa Ogawa photographed countless subjects, from famous places, traditional customs and invaluable cultural assets throughout Japan to the Sino-Japanese War, the mourning rites of the Meiji Emperor, and the devastating Mino-Owari earthquake​ in 1891. During the Russo-Japanese War, he published two books with photographs about the war, thereby pioneering the use of photography to report on an ongoing war. In 1901, Ogawa visited and photographed Beijing in China, including the Forbidden City.

This book uncovers the life of this now unknown formative figure of Japanese photography, who captured Japan during its years as an empire in transformation.”
― from the publisher’s description (translation by shashasha)

Please note that the book is only available in Japanese. While the more than 450 pages are richly illustrated with photographs and pictures, readers not fluent in Japanese may be limited in their enjoyment of this title.