Gezicht op Matsushima before 1895

This is Kazumasa Ogawa’s photograph “Gezicht op Matsushima,” showing the town of Matsushima. Ogawa was one of the most important photographers in Meiji-era Japan. Ogawa played a key role in introducing and promoting photography as a modern art form in Japan. Here, the composition is traditional, resembling a landscape painting, yet the gelatin silver print represents modernity. How does this influence the viewer's cultural understanding? Ogawa was very active in photographic societies, and journals. Through them, photography became a public art, available for many people to engage with. This is what made him such an important figure in the history of Japanese photography. Photographs and prints provide us with a wealth of information about the cultural values of a time. A deeper understanding of the social and institutional histories can help us to appreciate the work of artists such as Ogawa.