KOBE: JAPANESE PHOTOGRAPHS: Four Large Hand-Colored Albumen Photographs, Board M.

[Japan ca. 1880's]. Four large hand-colored albumum photo- graphs, mounted on a large stiff board, size: ca. 26 x 20.5 cm., sharp, clear images, excellent condition, pastel colors solid, excellent examples, with negative numbers. R A R E ! . * WHO WAS KUSAKABE KIMBEI THE PHOTOGRAPHER: . Kusakabe Kimbei [1841-1934] was a well-known Japanese photographer, who served the foreign community in Yokohama, operating from ca. 1881-1913. He created lovely photographic albums with scenery, studio images of posed Japanese men and women and a wide variety of other souvenir albums. His work was of a high quality and an interesting nature. . Kusakabe was a very unique Japanese photographer who understood Western photographic principals, but stuck to his native Japanese style and tradition of capturing native Japanese subjects with great skill. . Kusakabe likely apprenticed with both Beato and Stillfried as a photograph colorist. In 1885 he managed to acquire a number of Beato and Stillfried negatives which were reprinted and sold in his albums. Kusakabe being located on the main street in Yokohama had many foreign clients who purchased his albums. . His landscapes captured what 19th century Japan was truly like. His portraits also reflect a "natural" beauty and quality not found in the work of other Japanese photographers of the time, even though many were posed. . Kusakabe also sold photographs by the famous Nagasaki photographer Ueno Hikoma. . There is common confusion regarding the works of both Kusakabe Kimbei and those of Kashima Seibi [1866-1924]. Kashima was known as the photographer of a book by Angus: JAPAN: The Eastern Wonderland, & volume seven of the PRACTICAL PHOTOGRAPHER. He is often & wrongly referred to as "Kajima." He also had a studio and his images were often re-used by K. Ogawa as Kashima helped finance Ogawa's collotype [photo] business. See Bennett below for more biographical and other details on these photographers. *** . THE IMAGES: . Each of these superb photographs show a famous Kobe place. . No.1: BRONZE IMAGE SHINKOJI HIOGO #2111. This depicts the large bronze Buddha image seated upon a granite lotus, which is again placed upon a large granite block foundation. . This image is about 3-4 meters tall, showing four young Buddhist novices in a pose praying before the Buddha. One stares in bewilderment at the camera. The Buddhist temple in the background nicely executed, before a dry lotus pond. * No.2. NUNOBIKI YAMA KOBE #1207. This shows a village scene before a pine forest mountain as a large number of the villagers turn out for the historic occasion of being photographed ! . Villagers stand on the sandy street, some sporting oil-skin umbrellas, all are Kimono-clad and are fixed at and facing the camera. . A typical rural Japanese scene with tile-roofed houses & a small Sake-ya [drinking] store, with fields in the foreground. One woman & her daughter sit on a Jinrikisha supported by the coolie-puller who comes to a halt for the camera. * No.3: KOBE #1204. This shows a railway track scene around a bend, telephone poles & lines adjacent to the tracks, amidst family dwellings in the suburbs. * No.4. Without title, numbered in the negative as no. 1210. This shows a lovely view of a Buddhist temple and a pilgrim praying and paying homage. *** THE ABOVE PHOTOGRAPHS ARE CITED IN THE REFERENCE WORK: All of the Bennett, see below. . *** REFERENCES: . The following are some useful bibliographies to consult for more information on this album and Japanese early photography in general: * BENNETT, Terry. EARLY JAPANESE IMAGES . BENNETT, Terry. OLD JAPANESE PHOTOGRAPHS: COLLECTORS' DATA GUIDE, the above images are found in this work by negative number. * H. Bayou; FELICE BEATO ET L'ECOLE DE YOKOHAMA. JAPANISCHE PHOTOGRAPHIE 1860-1929. * H. Cortazzi: JAPAN CAUGHT IN TIME. * [Feliz Beato/R. von Stillfried]: ONCE UPON A TIME: Visions of Old Japan from the Photos of Beato and Stillfried & the Words of Pierre Loti. * Claudia G. Philipp.…