Kimbei Kusakabe (39 results)

Couverture rigide. Condition: Bon. KUSAKABE (Kimbei). Album photo du Japon. Yokohama, Kusakabe Kimbei, s.d. (vers 1895). Album oblong (36 x 28 cm), 50 photos albumens, dos cuir, plats de bois laqué traditionnel, décoré de hérons en nacre, ainsi que de motifs peints et dorés formant un paysage. L'album se compose de 33 grands tirages albuminés (25,5 x 20 cm), légendés dans la plaque et soigneusement coloriés, suivis de 17 tirages en noir non légendés, tous contrecollés. Si les 33 premières photos sont aisément attribuables à Kusakabe, les 17 suivantes sont bien moins communes et restent anonymes. De 1860 à 1900 environ, les Yokohama-shashin (tirages à l'albumine japonais vendus à Yokohama) sont devenus très populaires chez les touristes pour garder un souvenir des paysages, des personnes et la culture japonaise. Parmi les photographes notables figuraient Felix Beato et Kusakabe Kimbei. Kimbei, initialement assistant de Beato et du baron Raimund von Stillfried, a ouvert son propre studio à Yokohama en 1881. Il était reconnu pour ses photographies de haute qualité peintes à la main. La reliure est frottée avec de légers manques au dos, les autres défauts sont mineurs. KUSAKABE (Kimbei) (illustrator). …

Hardcover. 27 x 25 cm. Each print mounted on card stock, featuring twelve photographs of the Toshugu Shrine, and the remaining featuring views of the Avenue of Cedars, and a row of Jizo Buddha statues in the Kanmangafuchi Abyss, mostly taken by the renowned photographer Kimbei, one of which is attributed to Ogawa Kazmumasa; housed within a rare oblong pictorial album. The Malta cover representation features Malta's role in the Great War [WW1]. Japan fought alongside the nations allied against the Kaiser. Kimbei is considered one of the most accomplished Japanese commercial photographers. He excelled in depicting the age-old Japanese traditions and highly collected by foreign visitors. Orig. laminated and highly decorated front cover with beveled edges. Near fine.…

Hardcover. Condition: Good. [After Kusakabe Kimbei. Souvenir photo album of Japan. Yokohama: late XIXc. Early XXc.] Folio (13 3/4" x 10 9/16" 268mm x 352mm): 16 boards of compressed card. Photographs pasted to the recto and verso of each board. 32 hand-colored albumen photographs in toto. Accordion bound in pictorial red lacquered board. Gilt botanical and landscape vignettes to the front board. Card edge-wrapped in pink cloth. Boards detached. Extremities worn; boards scuffed, scratched, and pitted. 4 interior boards detached. Card foxed, primarily at the margin. Guards foxed, creased, ripped, and occasionally lacking. Graphite cataloging notes to the front pastedown. During the Edo period, photography was introduced to Japan through the Dutch trading outpost located on Dejima Island in the Nagasaki Bay. Daguerreotype cameras with silver plates were brought over in 1848, and the introduction of wet collodion printing methods allowed for unlimited prints to be made, rivaling the woodblock print in efficient image production. As photography flourished as a commercial industry in the early Meiji era, so did Western tourism due to slackening travel restrictions for foreigners. Photographs then acted as souvenirs for Westerners' travels. However, instead of depicting contemporary life, Westerners were more interested in an exoticized image of traditional Japan. This led to studios composing staged photographs that reflected Western imaginings of the East rather than the actualized culture visitors encountered. The manufactured photographs typified three distinct categories of subject matter: customs and types, beautiful women, and famous places and views. While romanticizing a Japan of the past, the hand-coloring of these photographs would merge Eastern and Western tradition. With photographs overtaking woodblock prints in the image market, many woodblock print specialists were out of work, leading them to transfer their precise brush skills to photographs. Diluted paints and synthetic dyes, originally imported and used in woodblocks, were used to achieve bright and enticing colors. Italian-British photographer Felice Beato (1832-1909), who set up a studio in Yokohama, is credited with the invention of hand-coloring photos in Japan. While western-born photographers originally dominated the production of photographs, as the technology spread throughout the country, more Japanese photographers began to control the production of these images of their culture, most notably Kusakabe Kimbei (1841-1934), who trained under Beato, and whose style is reflected in the present album. Studios created their own premier photo albums for purchase, but the creation of composite albums, where customers would select the photos themselves, was a cheaper alternative. Tracking the exact photographers of a certain work is almost impossible, as studios were concerned with the sale of the photographers over preserving artist credits. Many studios bought the stock negatives of outside artists to broaden their catalog of options, adding them to their personal portfolio. In the case of composite albums, they are colored in a variety of ways and often lack proper titles and the credits of multiple individuals. The souvenir album industry eventually came to a halt with the rise of privately produced postcards and the relaxation of postal laws at the beginning of the 20th-century. Cataloged by Sydney Bilek and Gillian Murdock.…

A charming small Japanese album (18 x 13.5 cm) with fifty hand-coloured albumen photos protected with tissue guards, pasted on thick cardboard. The leaves are double folded. Original lacquered boards with gilt decorations on both covers. The album contains twenty-five photos of scenic views from different parts of Japan: Yokohama, Nikko, Hakone, Kamakura and Tokyo. Several have printed captions. The reverse side contains twenty-five photographs of people and costumes, many of women. Some foxing to the cardboard but all the photos are in good condition. This type of souvenir album began to appear in the second half of the 19th century in Japan. At first most photographic studios were based in Yokohama but after the 1880s several studios opened in Tokyo, Kobe and Nagasaki. See Terry Bennett, Old Japanese Photographs, London, Quaritch 2006.…

Hardcover. Condition: vg- to vg+. Large oblong quarto. 25 double-sided heavy-stock paper leaves. Luxurious lacquered wood boards, with carved mother-of-pearl onlay in the shape of flowers and cranes on the front cover. Back cover beautifully hand-painted in gilt. Brown leather spine with gilt tooling. Edges of book block in gilt. Gilt dentelles. This unique album contains a total of 50 hand-colored albumen photographs of locations and subjects from around Japan. These images, while not specifically dated, can be dated to sometime after 1881 (the time of Kimbei starting his own photographic studio) and are likely not later than the turn of the 20th century. Each print measures approx 8 x 10.5", with most being captioned in English and numbered (in image). Most are location photographs, with some interior scenes, and some being staged studio shots, as was common during the period. The content includes a wide range of subject matter from across Japan, including: Nagasaki and the surrounding areas, including Mogi and Unzen Onsen (Hot Springs) - Fuji/Hakone - Matsushima - Osaka - Kyoto - Planting and cultivating rice - Gathering Tea at Uji (Kyoto area) - Ueno Park (Tokyo) - cotton spinning - cooking - eating soba - singing - still lifes of flowers (including cherry blossoms). The final image is notable as it is a cute photomontage showing portraits of babies and young children. Kusakabe Kimbei (1841- ca.1934) started his career a colorist and assistant to the pioneering photographer Felice Beato (1832-1909) at his studio in Yokohama. Beato is significant in the history of photography in Japan, and is considered among the earliest major photographers to have visually documented and worked in the country. When Beato ended his photography business, he sold his studio and stock to Baron Raimund von Stillfried who together with Hermann Andersen started the Stillfried & Andersen photographic studio. Kimbei continued on with his work under Stillfried & Andersen. After being a protégé of both Beato and Stillfried, Kimbei struck out on his own, and formed his own studio in 1881. Along with the other two men he became an important figure in the history of Japanese photography, and a successful and key figure in the genre which came to be known as "Yokohama-shashin" (Yokohama Photographs). Yokohama-shashin displayed a wide variety of Japanese scenery and landscapes, as well as people (especially women) and Japanese culture. These images became very popular, often being sold as souvenirs, especially among foreigners living in and visiting Japan. Kimbei is noted for assembling selections of his work into photo albums (each with variant content and binding), luxuriously bound in lacquered boards with mother of pearl, known as the "gold coin albums" (kinhei arubamu). Our album is a classic and beautiful example of one of these. Binding with some light rubbing and a few small chips to the edges of the boards, with a few scratches and small cracks to the laquer. A few small peices of the mother mother-of-pearl onlay have come off of the front cover. Interior with a piece of the corner of the first leaf torn off, not affecting the images. There are a few minor smudges to the margins of a few of the leaves, but images are unaffected, still clean, with some fading. A few leaves have come loose from the binding but are still present. Binding in very good- to very good, images in very good to very good+ condition overall.…

Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. 50 hand-colored mounted albumen prints, 8 x 10.25", typed label in English below each image and three have the name on the image (from the negative), tissue guards, covers 11 x 14", floral back cloth, gilt ruled leather corners and spine, gilt lettering on spine, 25 mounts (one photo on each side). Covers very well worn, etc. Outer/inner hinges cracked, endpapers soiled, torn and lack one corner (present). No title page, lacks tissue guard for first photo, some tissue guards are becoming detached, negatives had lines/scratches/spotting which have transferred to some of the images, mounts are wavy, soiled and a few may have been stuck on the edges of other mounts. Also, the photos occasionally have light wrinkling from being applied (hurriedly). Overall, the photos are very good, color is sharp. Although Kimbei's hand stamp does not appear in the album, the images match some of the ones seen in his albums that were sold at auction. Some of the contents: "View Of The Railway Station at Yokohama", "Shell-Picking On The Shore Of Shinagawa", "News Paper Boy", "Fish Vendor", "Japanese Marriage", "Kago-Travelling Chair", "Daibatsu Or Bronze Image At Kamakura", "Imperial Palace At Akasaka And Four Ladies On The Verandah." Usually available as individual photographs, SCARCE in albums.…

No binding. Condition: Good. Yokohama, middle Meiji period (c. 1883-1897). 20x25.3 cm. Attributed to Kusakabe Kimbei (1841-1934). Other prints from the same negative, captioned "43. Pounding Rice", are in the Birmingham Museum of Art, the Syracuse University Art Museum, the Naprstek Museum, Prague (Josef Korensky collection), and the Nagasaki University Library (no. 3022, photographer unidentified). The image depicts four workers in a rice-cleaning shop (tsukigome-ya). Three operate treadle pestles (karausu), stepping on the levers to raise the weighted pestles, which drop into mortars sunk in the floor and strip the bran from the grain, while the fourth sweeps the rice back into the mortar with a straw broom. Unlike many genre scenes of the period, which were staged in the studio with hired models and props, this photograph was evidently taken on location in a working shop: the mortars are sunk into the floor, which is strewn with rice, and the men wear work coats bearing the shop's name on the collars. The poses, however, are still arranged for the camera. Binding & condition: Unmounted. Good: light rubbing, small tear to the lower edge, ownership mark in pencil to the verso. Trimmed, without the negative caption. References: Reproduced: Japan 1900: A Portrait in Colour (Cologne: Taschen, 2024), p. 80, as by Kusakabe Kimbei.…

Tonosawa seen from the vicinity of the present Chitose Bridge. The mountain is Mt. Yusaka with the Haya River flowing through it. Both of these are mentioned in a thirteenth century travelogue, 'Izayoi Nikki'. Kusakabe was the great Japanese commercial photographer of the nineteenth century. There is a direct relationship between the work of Beato, Stillfried and Kusakabe which is the culmination of a cross-cultural view of Japan during the period. It is probable that Kusakabe began as Stillfried's operator, eventually buying his stock when the latter departed from Japan in the mid 1880's. He operated his own firm until 1912, when he disappeared from view. Kusakabe's speciality was his penetrating studio portraits of the Japanese sitter. Hand-coloured albumen print. 26.6 x 20.5cm. Good rich tones with beautiful colour.…

Condition: Very good. Hand-tinted albumen print, 7 3/4 x 10 1/4 inches (200 x 260 mm), numbered A 425 and titled at lower right; very light toning on the edges. Unmounted; housed in an archival mat with clear mounting corners. The area around Abuto Cape at the tip of Numakuma Peninsula is known for its splendid view. It has been designated as a Place of Scenic Beauty by the Japanese government. Bandaiji Temple built on the distinct rock formation on the cape is known by the local people as "Kan'non-san of Abuto." Kan'non do, still existing at present, was constructed in the latter part of the sixteenth century and has been designated a National Important Cultural Asset. Attributable to Kusakabe Kimbei by numbering and style, but certain attribution cannot be made as many of the photographic studios in Japan bought and sold negatives and batches of photographs to other studios to make albums that were more geographically complete. KUSAKABE Kimbei (1841-1932) Not much is known of Kusakabe's early life. He was born into a family of textile merchants but left home at eighteen to move to Yokohama to further his ambition of becoming an artist. At some time in the early 1860s he joined Beato as a photo-colourist. Soon he was a fully fledged assistant and accompanied Beato on a trip to Shanghai in 1867. In the 1870s he joined Stillfried but in what capacity is not known. He also seems at this time to be in business selling his own silk paintings. In 1880 he opened his own Yokohama studio and, like his great rival Tamamura, targeted the foreign community selling souvenir albums. By 1892 he was advertising a portfolio of some 2000 images and by 1901 his studio was the largest in Japan. Kusakabe retired in 1914 and spent his later years painting. He was an exceptional artist and photographer. [Bennett, Terry. Old Japanese Photographs: Collectors' Data Guide. London: Quaritch, 2006, p. 286].…

Condition: Very Good +. Hand-tinted albumen print, 10 1/2 x 8 inches (266 x 203 mm). Edges a little faded and some cockling, image is clear and beautifully colored. Unmounted, housed in an archival mat with clear mounting corners. [Nagasaki University Library, Catalog Number : 10]. A woman wearing a kimono is writing a letter with a brush. A box to place brushes and sumi ink, and an andon lamp are on the tatami rice mats. In the back hangs a kakejiku hanging scroll . KUSAKABE Kimbei (1841-1932) Not much is known of Kusakabe's early life. He was born into a family of textile merchants but left home at eighteen to move to Yokohama to further his ambition of becoming an artist. At some time in the early 1860s he joined Beato as a photo-colourist. Soon he was a fully fledged assistant and accompanied Beato on a trip to Shanghai in 1867. In the 1870s he joined Stillfried but in what capacity is not known. He also seems at this time to be in business selling his own silk paintings. In 1880 he opened his own Yokohama studio and, like his great rival Tamamura, targeted the foreign community selling souvenir albums. By 1892 he was advertising a portfolio of some 2000 images and by 1901 his studio was the largest in Japan. Kusakabe retired in 1914 and spent his later years painting. He was an exceptional artist and photographer. [Bennett, Terry. Old Japanese Photographs: Collectors' Data Guide. London: Quaritch, 2006, p. 286].…

Hardcover. Condition: Good. (View of the Imperial Hotel, Tokyo). Hand-coloured albumen print, 20 x 26cm.

Albumen photographs, each approximately 8" x 10" on mounts varying from 10" x 14" to 8¼" x 10½", showing the mayhem, including destroyed watercraft in the harbor, a ruined bridge, waterfront wreckage, and a large group of townsfolk looking dejected while also looking curiously at the photographer. Some curling of the images, one with a short tear in the margin, but generally very good. Apparently taken from an album, as one has two other unrelated photographs on the verso. Kusakabe Kimbei (1841-1932) "remains one of the most underrated Japanese photographers of the nineteenth century. Because of his concentration on producing souvenir albums containing hand-colored views and costumes for foreigners he is better known today in the West than he is in Japan. For today's collectors of early photograph albums, pride of place will always be given to Felix Beato and Raimund von Stillfried for their respective output in the 1860s and 1870s. However, from the 1880s onwards no studio comes close to matching Kusakabe's for the consistent quality and variety of its output" (Bennett, Photography in Japan). …

In-4 à l'italienne 36 x 27 cm. 50 photographies 26,5 x 20 cm. contrecollées en 25 planches, serpentes. Marges brunnie. Des accrocs de motifs laqués au premier plat. in-4°.

[Yokohama n.d. ca 1880, Kusakabe Studio]. A single albumen photograph, 9 x 13.5 cm.,mounted on a stiff card with orange silk edges, very good, hand-colored. UNUSUAL ITEM . * THE PHOTOGRAPHER: Kusakabe Kimbei [1841-1934] was a well-known Japanese photographer, who served the foreign community in Yokohama. 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. . *** THE IMAGE: This stunning image, shows a young Japanese farm girl in a rough Kimono, with a cloth covering her head to keep the lint off. On her knees she sits Japanese style on a Tatami mat, while she rotates a wooden spinning wheel with her right hand, while she feeds the thread with her left. . Nicely and delicately colored in pastels. A clear and fine image, minor fading to the background, image is strong and sharp. ***.…

[Yokohama ca. 1880, Kusakabe]. A single hand-colored photograph, 27.5 x 21 cm., very good, mounted on a stiff paper right margin has hand-colored floral pattern. OBSCURE . *** Kusakabe [1841-1934] 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. His portraits also refl- lect a "natural" beauty and quality not found in the work of other Japanese photographers of the time, even though many were posed. . This excellent period photograph is a classic. It shows four Kago or palanquin carriers holding a young Japanese girl who holds an umbrella before the Hafuya Hotel. The photograph has a caption in English in the lower right corner,with the number B86. . The coolie carriers dont look too happy in fact one at the rear looks completely exhausted while Kusakabe takes the photograph. . Delicately hand-colored with accents, but mostly in original black and white.…

[Japan ca. 1880's]. A matted hand-colored albumen photo,very clean, large size, ca. 26.5 x 21 cm., English caption,number in lower right corner, pastel color, very clear, sharp image nicely done, with mountain background, solid. . * THE PHOTOGRAPHER: Kusakabe Kimbei [1841-1934] was a well-known Japanese photographer, who served the foreign community in Yokohama. 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. *** THE IMAGE: A marvelous & impressive view, showing a single worshipper at the foot of the steps, praying. The whole of the temple's massive gate shown, with great stone lanterns at the entrance way. A wonderful holy sight, nicely executed. Most likely photographed by the Nagasaki photographer Ueno Hikoma and then distributed by Kusakabe in Yokohama. . Masterpiece work ! *** 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. * 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 et al: FELICE BEATO IN JAPAN: Photographien zum Ende der Feudalzeit 1863-1873. * C. Worswick: JAPAN PHOTOGRAPHS 1854-1905. * Philipp March & Claudia Delank: THE ADVENTURE OF JAPANESE PHOTOGRAPHY 1860-1890. * LA LEGGENDA DI UN IMPERO: Felice Beato e la scuola fotogarfica di Yokohama alla scoperta del Giappone 1860/1900 for more useful details, valuable images and information. * KUSAKABE Kimbei: ans of this and most other items are posted to our website.…

[Yokohama ca. 1880's]. A matted large hand-colored photo, 26.5 x 20.5 cm., very clean, on a card, excellent focus,nice pastel color, taken from across the bay from Deshima, a bit of minor buckling to top, 3 tiny spots else quite clean.RARE . * THE PHOTOGRAPHER: Kusakabe Kimbei [1841-1934] was a well-known Japanese photographer, who served the foreign community in Yokohama. 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. . 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. . Kusakabe was an early Yokohama photographer, who also sold photos by the Nagasaki photographer Ueno Hikoma. *** THIS IMAGE: This work is most likely done by Ueno Hikoma who was a well known Nagasaki photographer. He often shared, exchanged and sold his photos to many other photographers throughout Japan. It is a known fact that Kusakabe used many of his images of Nagasaki in his own tourist souvenir albums. . The image shows a nice view of Nagasaki harbour from across the bay, with several ships moored at anchor. The soft rising hills in the background and the city is to the left. . In the foreground are several native Japanese buildings with tile roofs, and a granite stone Torii gate, and a small shrine. . *** 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, for more details and identification other examples of Kusakabe work and also biographical data. . BENNETT, Terry. OLD JAPANESE PHOTOGRAPHS: COLLECTORS' DATA GUIDE. * 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 et al: FELICE BEATO IN JAPAN: Photographien zum Ende der Feudalzeit 1863-1873. * C. Worswick: JAPAN PHOTOGRAPHS 1854-1905. * Philipp March & Claudia Delank: THE ADVENTURE OF JAPANESE PHOTOGRAPHY 1860-1890. * LA LEGGENDA DI UN IMPERO: Felice Beato e la scuola fotogarfica di Yokohama alla scoperta del Giappone 1860/1900 for more useful details, valuable images and information. * ans of this and most of our items are posted to our website.…

[Japan ca.1880]. A large matted photograph with lower right inset English caption and number 1413, ca. 26.5 x 20.5 cm., excellent pastel color, sharp image, fine work. Likely the actual photographic work of Ueno Hikoma of Nagasaki. RARE ! . * WHO IS THE PHOTOGRAPHER KUSAKABE KIMBEI: . 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 IMAGE: . This is a superb image, the view of Osuwa temple and its foreground area. Shows a bronze horse, granite "Fu-dogs" and the massive temple gate. There are six Japanese gentlemen, Kimono-clad pilgrims four with black bowler-type foreign popular hats of the period. All wear they typical and traditional Geta [a kind of wooden sandal with tall cleats]. . Nicely done, a classic ! *** 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. * 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 et al: FELICE BEATO IN JAPAN: Photographien zum Ende der Feudalzeit 1863-1873. * C. Worswick: JAPAN PHOTOGRAPHS 1854-1905. * Philipp March & Claudia Delank: THE ADVENTURE OF JAPANESE PHOTOGRAPHY 1860-1890. * LA LEGGENDA DI UN IMPERO: Felice Beato e la scuola fotogarfica di Yokohama alla scoperta del Giappone 1860/1900 for more useful details, valuable images and information. * ans of this and most of our items are posted to our website.…

[Yokohama 1880, Kusakabe]. A single albumen photograph, 18 x 22 cm., very clean, #1038 in lower right corner, delicately hand-colored in pastels and hues, a solid copy in very nice condition. . *** **** *** . . AN EXCELLENT PORTRAIT OF A JAPANESE VEGETABLE MONGER . *** WHO WAS THE PHOTOGRAPHER KUSAKABE KIMBEI: 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 EXACT IMAGE IS FOUND IN THE REFERENCE BOOK: . This exact photograph is illustrated in Worswick, see below for details. . *** 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. * 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 et al: FELICE BEATO IN JAPAN: Photographien zum Ende der Feudalzeit 1863-1873. * Clark Worswick.: JAPAN PHOTOGRAPHS 1854-1905, see p.111, ours is delicately hand-colored in pastels light hues. * Philipp March & Claudia Delank: THE ADVENTURE OF JAPANESE PHOTOGRAPHY 1860-1890. * LA LEGGENDA DI UN IMPERO: Felice Beato e la scuola fotogarfica di Yokohama alla scoperta del Giappone 1860/1900 for more useful details, valuable images and information. *.…

Albumen print. Good tonal range and in good condition. Photographer's number and title in negative. Interesting image of this Japanese garden; Dimensions: 200 x 255mm. (8 x 10 inches).

Albumen print, hand-coloured. Good rich tones and in good condition. Photographer's number and title in negative. A rare image of these two Geisha's. The reflection in the mirror of one of them shows a remarkable artistic talent on the part of the photographer, at a time when such portraits would not have incorporated such a twist; Dimensions: 265 x 210mm. (10.5 x 8 inches).…

Albumen print, hand-coloured. Good tonal range and in good condition. Photographer's number and title in negative; Dimensions: 200 x 265mm. (8 x 10 inches).

Albumen print. Good tonal range and in excellent condition. Fantastic studio shot showing a man, possibly a farmer with his pick-axe, hat and other articles. Photographer's number in negative; Dimensions: 255 x 200mm. (10.5 x 8 inches).

Albumen print. Good tonal range and in good condition. Photographer's number and title in negative. Interesting image of this large bronze statue of Buddha; Dimensions: 200 x 255mm. (8 x 10 inches).

Albumen print, hand-coloured. Good tonal range and in good condition. Photographer's number and title in negative. Very good studio portrait with fine colouring; Dimensions: 205 x 270mm. (8 x 10.5 inches).

[Japan ca 1880's]. Four large hand-colored photographs, card mounted, ca 26.5 x 20 cm., pastel coloring, excellent, clear images, English caption and negative number in lower right corner, clean, solid examples. R A R E ! . *** WHO WAS THE PHOTOGRAPHER KUSAKABE KIMBEI: . HE 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: . These are excellent examples of Kusakabe's work & also that of Tamamura Kozaburo who did # 1208 below. * No. 1: NUNOBIKI YAMA KOBE #1207. This shows a village scene before a forest mountain, a large number of the villagers turn out for the historic occasion. They stand on the sandy street, some sporting umbrellas, all Kimono-clad facing the camera. A typical rural Japanese scene with tile-roofed houses and a small Sake-ya [drinking] store, with fields in the foreground one woman & her daughter sit on a Jin Rickshaw supported by the coolie-puller holding at a halt. * No. 2: BRONZE IMAGE SHISHINKOJI HIOGO #1211. 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 m. tall, with 4 young Buddhist novices, one stares at the camera surprised. * No. 3: MAYASAN MOON TEMPLE KOBE #1214. A Buddhist stands before the very ancient two tiered Pagoda, while two others look on at the camera. * No. 4: METAKI WATERFALL KOBE # 1208 by Tamamura. Shows a deep valley waterfall with covered bridge & a small cottage, very green. Early views of Kobe. *** 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, all items are found listed by negative numbers in this source. * 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 et al: FELICE BEATO IN JAPAN: Photographien zum Ende der Feudalzeit 1863-1873. * C. Worswick: JAPAN PHOTOGRAPHS 1854-1905. * Philipp March & Claudia Delank: THE ADVENTURE OF JAPANESE PHOTOGRAPHY 1860-1890. * LA LEGGENDA DI UN IMPERO: Felice Beato e la scuola fotogarfica di Yok.…

[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.…

[Japan c.1880's]. Grass covered wood album, rubbed, contents clean, 24 hand-colored albumen photographs, tissue guards, sharp images photos size 13.5 x 9 cm. album size 18 x 12 cm. accordion folded, photos on both sides, solid good hinges. . *** Half of the album is devoted to scenery the opposite half to portraits. The scenery covers mostly untitled photographs, but some do have hand-written English titles in the lower right corner. Showing Uyeno, harbor, mountain resorts, thermal hot springs street scenes, farms, Nikko, Yokohama, along the Tokaido, Mt Fuji &c. * The portraits are quite poignant showing the usual posed type studio images, and actual portraits within Japanese houses, entirely of Japanese women in various poses as well at various domestic activities. * THE PHOTOGRAPHER: WHO WAS KUSAKABE KIMBEI [1841-1934]: . Though this like many other photos and albums of photos pf this period were commonly unsigned, this appears to be one of Kusakabe's better works. . 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. His landscapes capture 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. His selection of several "typical" Japanese girls and women for this album give a balanced view to what Japanese womanhood was about. All in traditional costumes and Kimono. . Kusakabe was a well-known 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 likely apprenticed with both Beato and Stillfried as a photograph hand-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 souvenir style 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. . *** Color photos arw posted to our website. . *** REFERENCE: 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. * 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 et al: FELICE BEATO IN JAPAN: Photographien zum Ende der Feudalzeit 1863-1873. * C. Worswick: JAPAN PHOTOGRAPHS 1854-1905. * Philipp March & Claudia Delank: THE ADVENTURE OF JAPANESE PHOTOGRAPHY 1860-1890. * LA LEGGENDA DI UN IMPERO: Felice Beato e la scuola fotogarfica di Yokohama alla scoperta del Giappone 1860/1900 for more useful details, valuable images and informatio.…

[Yokohama c.1880's, Kusakabe]. A hand-colored albumen photo- graph, 26 x 20 cm. large size, clear, sharp image, lovely pastel colors, title & number in lower right corner, solid excellent example. . * ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS AND NOSTALGIC VIEWS OF OLD YOKOHAMA ! . This famous image of Yokohama: No.526: 100 STEPS YOKOHAMA, shows the long stairway, with Japanese houses lining the old street. . Four Jin-rickshaws are parked, while the pullers coolies wait their patrons. They are a Kimono-clad Japanese man stands on the bridge wears a Western style straw hat, while two other Japanese men also wearing Kimono and straw hats mill about talking in front of the "Suzukiya" establishment. . Two Kimono-clad Japanese women stand in front of "Koike" on the opposite side of the street. The top of the hill shows three structures with a picket fence, and a small forest of pine trees. See Hoerner below for a similar image. *** DELICATE, NICE PASTEL HAND-COLORING: This image is delicately and tastefully hand colored in pastels. The image is crisp and clear. . A very nice example. A classic ! *** 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. . *** REFERENCES: . The following are some useful bibliographies to consult for more information on this album and Japanese early photography in general: * Ludwig Hoerner: EINE FOTOREISE DURCH DAS ALTE JAPAN, on p.55. a similar photograph is illustrated. * BENNETT, Terry. EARLY JAPANESE IMAGES . BENNETT, Terry. OLD JAPANESE PHOTOGRAPHS: COLLECTORS' DATA GUIDE. * 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 et al: FELICE BEATO IN JAPAN: Photographien zum Ende der Feudalzeit 1863-1873. * C. Worswick: JAPAN PHOTOGRAPHS 1854-1905. * Philipp March & Claudia Delank: THE ADVENTURE OF JAPANESE PHOTOGRAPHY 1860-1890. * LA LEGGENDA DI UN IMPERO: Felice Beato e la scuola fotogarfica di Yokohama alla scoperta del Giappone 1860/1900 for more useful details, valuable images and information. ***. …

No Binding. Condition: Good. (View of Nijubashi, Imperial Palace, Tokyo). Hand-coloured albumen print, 20 x 26cm. Nagasaki Univ. No. 1669.