Archive for December 2003

Note about the Laughing Geisha

December 20, 2003 PhotoLog Comments Off

I just received the note below about the identity of the “Laughing Geisha” on the vintage postcards I display here:

http://photojpn.org/postcards/albums.php

It sounds like a good lead.
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Hi, Philbert -
I was browsing your website, again, and noticed that you don’t have a name for the smiling geisha of Yokohama. In 1905, Karl Lewis published a catalogue of the postcards he had for sale, including a section on “The Belle of Japan – Tokimatsu” – 22 postcards of “the smiling geisha”. The catalogue was reproduced in the Oct. 1987 issue of Japanese Philately. I have seen a few of these cards on eBay, although infrequently – one is up right now.

I assume Tokimatsu was her professional name – I read somewhere that she was a waitress, but I’ve seen a couple of rather risque pics of her, too. this may be no more than a nickname, but with enough data points, you may be able to identify her. Smile

Luck! Alan

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Vintage Tourist Photos of Japan

December 14, 2003 PhotoLog Comments Off

By Philbert Ono and Edward A. Wright

This is a magazine article which originally appeared in the Summer 1997 issue of DARUMA magazine which is a quarterly magazine in English covering Japanese art & antiques. This article introduces a collection of hand-colored glass slides produced in the 1920s and ’30s by T. Enami, a photographer who operated a photo studio in Benten-dori, Yokohama and catered to foreign tourists. He sold his slides and photos to foreign tourists visiting Japan.

http://photoguide.jp/txt/T._Enami

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Japan Times photo articles up to 2003

December 14, 2003 PhotoLog Comments Off

Here are links to photography-related article published in The Japan Times newspaper. You may have to register (free) to access the archives.

In the Dec. 16, 2001 issue of the The Japan Times English newspaper, the Sunday Timeout column featured the following series of articles about photography in Japan titled The Big picture:
From pinholes to pixels, photography keeps on evolving by Rob Gilhooly
Photo-news loses its focus, by Mark Schreiber
It’s all in the eyes of the beholder, by Benoit Toutee
First, take off the lens cap (photo classes)
From ‘shashin’ to snapshots, by Rob Gilhooly
New angles on art: A photo is worth a thousand…, by Monty DiPietro

Article about US Ambassador Howard Baker and Russian Ambassador Alexander Panov holding a joint photo exhibition in Tokyo in April 2003.
Russian, U.S. ambassadors prepare joint photo shows in Tokyo, Osaka – Japan Times 2003-04-04

Article about foreign diplomats in Japan (including US Ambassdor Howard Baker) holding a photo exhibition in Tokyo in Oct. 2003.
Diplomats’ photo show puts lens on Japan – Japan Times 2003-10-30

Article about a photo studio in Ryogoku, Tokyo specializing in taking portraits of sumo wrestlers.
Shooting gallery aimed at sumo – Japan Times 2003-12-14

Article introducing photo galleries in Shinjuku, Tokyo. A Japan Times article.
Zoom in on Shinjuku for photogalleries galore – By MONTY DiPIETRO 2004-01-14

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