Daibutsu (“Grote Buddha”), bronzen beeld in de Kotoku-in Tempel in Kamakura 1890 - 1894

This albumen print by Kusakabe Kimbei captures the monumental bronze Daibutsu Buddha in Kamakura, Japan. The image invites us to consider the cultural and social dimensions of religious imagery in the late 19th century. Kimbei's photograph was made during the Meiji period, a time of rapid modernization and engagement with the West. The Daibutsu, a symbol of spiritual contemplation, becomes an object of cultural exchange. The photograph served as a souvenir for Western travelers, and an emblem of Japan’s unique cultural heritage amid modernization. How does the commodification of religious icons affect their meaning? Understanding this image requires us to investigate the history of photography in Japan and the institutional contexts through which Japanese culture was presented to the world. Examining travelogues, museum collections, and early ethnographic studies allows us to interpret this photograph not merely as a visual document, but as a complex cultural artifact.