Stunning images of Japan 100 years ago

A window into the Land of the Rising Sun at the turn of the 20th century.

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TRAVEL BACK TO Japan at the turn of the century with these beautiful, hand-coloured photographs taken by well-known Japanese photographer T. Enami.

Enami, whose real name was Nobukuni Enami, opened his photography studio in Yokohama in April 1892. Most of these photos were taken sometime between 1898 and 1917, though Enami created amazing photographs and 3-D stereoviews of Japan’s people and countryside until his death in 1929.

Photo researcher Rob Oechsle, an expert on Japanese photography who has lived in Okinawa for three decades, gave us permission to use scans of Enami’s century-old images. Check out the rest of his images here on Flickr.

Stunning images of Japan 100 years ago

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Japan at the turn of 20th century
Mount Fuji from the dock. Flickr/Rob Oeschle (originally T. Enami)
Japan at the turn of 20th century
Two people visit a family tomb in a rural cemetery. Flickr/Rob Oeschle (originally T. Enami)
Japan at the turn of 20th century
An umbrella maker paints one of his pieces. Flickr/Rob Oeschle (originally T. Enami)
Japan at the turn of 20th century
A craftsman creates household shrines circa late 1920s. Flickr/Rob Oeschle (originally T. Enami)
Japan at the turn of 20th century
A boy visits the Great Buddha, also called the Daibutsu, at Kotoku Temple in Kakamura, circa 1925. Flickr/Rob Oeschle (originally T. Enami)
Japan at the turn of 20th century
The Old Imperial Hotel was built by Frank Lloyd Wright in Tokyo in 1923. Flickr/Rob Oechsle (originally T. Enami)
Japan at the turn of 20th century
A pilgrim travels along a misty road. Flickr/Rob Oeschle (originally T. Enami)
Japan at the turn of 20th century
Japanese ships, called junks, on the water. Flickr/Rob Oeschle (originally T. Enami)
Japan at the turn of 20th century
Geishas on a bridge over a pond in the Fugetsu Garden, circa 1915-1920. Flickr/Rob Oeschle (originally T. Enami)
Japan at the turn of 20th century
A man entertains children with a monkey in the street. Flickr/Rob Oeschle (originally T. Enami)
Japan at the turn of 20th century.
Children carry religious emblems for a parade. Flickr/Rob Oeschle (originally T. Enami)
Japan at the turn of 20th century
A fortune teller reads a man's palm, circa 1915-1920. Flickr/Rob Oechsle (originally T. Enami)
Japan at the turn of 20th century
Little boys walk to school in their formal dress robes, circa 1910-1920. Flickr/Rob Oechsle (originally T. Enami)
Japan at the turn of 20th century
Women pick tea leaves on a hillside circa 1905-20. Flickr/Rob Oeschle (originally T. Enami)
Japan at the turn of 20th century
Two apprentice geishas greet over tea, circa 1898. Flickr/Rob Oeschle (originally T. Enami)
Japan at the turn of 20th century
Riding on a rickshaw near Kyoto around 1898. Flickr/Rob Oeschle (originally T. Enami)
Japan at the turn of 20th century
Geishas examine 3D photographs, circa 1898-1907. Flickr/Rob Oeschle (originally T. Enami)
Japan at the turn of 20th century
Craftsmen create bronze relics, circa 1897-1900. Flickr/Rob Oechsle (originally T. Enami)
Japan at the turn of 20th century
Enami's assistants colour photos by hand at his studio in Yokohama, circa 1895-7. Flickr/Rob Oechsle (originally T. Enami)

- Rebecca Baird-Remba

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Rickshaw, near Kyoto, circa 1898. Rob Oeschle/T Enami via Flickr.com

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