"Published in conjunction with the first major retrospective of Shimooka Renjo, held in Tokyo in 2014, this volume collects 246 of this important early Japanese photographer's works, dating from the late Edo period through the Taisho period. In addition to his many photographs, important examples of his work as a painter are introduced here for the first time. Fully translated into English, including all captions, new scholarly research and reference texts, this book is an invaluable new resource for collectors, scholars, curators, libraries and anyone interested in the history of photography. Shimooka Renjo (1823-1914) was a pioneer of photography in Japan, yet until recent years few photographs had been positively attributed to him and little information on his life and work has been available in English. He also trained a number of important Japanese photographers including Yokoyama Matsusaburo, Esaki Reiji and Kamei Shiichi, contributing to the spread of photography in Japan. Scholarly content in this book include articles by Morishige Kazuo (“The Life and Times of Shimooka Renjo"), Saito Takio (“Shimooka Renjo in Shimoda, Uraga and Yokohama"), Ishiguro Keisho (“Shimooka Renjo's Nude Photography"), Sebastian Dobson (“The Photographer called `Unshin:' John Wilson"), Minami Miyuki (“The Painter Shimooka Renjo: His Technique as Seen in His Western Paintings") and Mitsui Keishi (“A Pioneer of Japanese Photography: Shimooka Renjo's Place in History"). Japanese-to-English translation by Alice Gordenker and Carol Morland. The reference section contains an all-new, complete translation into English of Shashin Jireki, an account of Shimooka Renjo's life in his own words. Shimooka Renjo lived into his nineties and had dealings with foreign missionaries including James Curtis Hepburn and James Hamilton Ballagh, as well as many of the major artists of his time, such as Takahashi Yuichi and Goseda Horyu."-- Provided by publisher.
"Shimooka Renjō became involved with photography from its very beginnings in Japan, soon after the insular nation was forced open in 1854. A painter, Renjō’s interest in photography was sparked by the influx of new trade and technology from the West in the latter part of the 19th century. He diligently pursued learning its principles, and by the 1860s had acquired his own camera and equipment. Working mostly in Yokohama, he documented the progression of the Meiji Restoration and Japanese culture of the time through numerous portraits, street scenes and landscapes. Exhaustively researched, this fascinating book offers a detailed overview of his life and work."-- Provided by publisher.
Shimooka Renjō: a pioneer of Japanese photography
下岡蓮杖
幕末明治の写真師下岡蓮杖 / 森重和雄 -- 下田・浦賀・横浜時代の下岡蓮杖 / 斎藤多喜夫 -- 下岡蓮杖のヌード写真 / 石黒敬章 -- ジョン・ウィルソン〈1816-1868〉 / セヴァスティヤン・ドブソン -- 絵師・下岡蓮杖に関する一考察 / 南美幸 -- 日本写真の開拓者下岡蓮杖 / 三井圭司.