Lately it seems that I’m being pulled more and more into the historical aspects of photography. I don’t mean photographing history, we’ve always done that here. I mean diving into old photos, old methods, and even a Meiji Period portrait studio. It all started when I found the old portrait studio during our Meiji Mura trip in August and became more of an adventure and something of a mystery when I stumbled upon several packets of old 120 black and white film negatives at my monthly local antique market. I bought 5 packets of old negatives, still in the envelope from the darkroom that developed them. I have no idea where they came from, but they seem to be part of an old photographer’s archive. It is difficult to date the shots, but I’ve been able to narrow them to a period between 1952 and 1980 for certain, most likely pre-1960. A lot of the images are of a family, an event in the family’s home, and shrine visits. Others follow a group of young looking men outdoors, traveling, and posing around Tokyo. These shots provide a fascinating glimpse into Japan’s past and has sent me searching for some of the locations in these old photos to compare these sites with how they are today.
So, here are a few shots, some old, some new, some new shots of old places. As I track down more of the locations in these old photos, and get my hands on more negatives, I’ll probably do a part two.
An old portrait studio in Meijimura, a park in central Aichi Prefecture that features more than 60 Meiji Era buildings, a steam locomotive, an antique trolley, and other Meiji period artifacts. Most buildings, like this one, are their own self-contained museum. It is like a museum of other museums and worth checking out for any history buff.
A posing chair and decorative flowers rest in an old portrait studio in Meijimura, a park in central Aichi Prefecture that features more than 60 Meiji Era buildings, a steam locomotive, an antique trolley, and other Meiji period artifacts. Of everything in the park though, this old portrait studio had the biggest impact on me.
A man stands in front of the statue of Kusunoki Masashige, a monument in central Tokyo near the Imperial Palace. I found the the negatives for this and a number of other photos in a local antique market.
A more recent shot of the statue of Kusunoki Masashige near the Imperial Palace. It is striking how the city around the statue has changed over the last ~60 years.
A Japanese father stands with his daughters in an old photo. I would love to find out who the family is and share these old photos with them. Perhaps then I could also learn about the photographer as well.
A tall arch bridge spans a fast flowing mountain river. I am trying to track down where this bridge and river are, so I can find it and see how it has changed over the last 50~60 years.
A group of sharp dressed men pose for a photo on the side of a road, likely close to the bridge and river above. I hope to eventually find information on who these men are where the shot was taken.
Traditional musicians play Koto, a Japanese harp, and shakuhachi, a type of Japanese flute, in the living room of someone’s home. If anyone who reads this can tell me where this was or who these people are, that information would be very appreciated.