Portrait of Three Upper-Class Ojo-San

An ambrotype is a collodion wet-plate negative that is mounted in front of a dark background in order to create a positive image. These rare Ambrotypes rank as unique photographic treasures on a number of accounts. It is important to note that these images were not intended for a Western audience. Rather, they are unique, one-of-a-kind images created by Japanese photographers exclusively for Japanese clients. Only in the last few years have they come to attention in the West.

During the late Bakumatsu and early Meiji Period (1868-1912), the Japanese rushed to adopt Western culture and technology. Photography figured prominently in that phenomenon, although it had been introduced to Japan a decade earlier. By the early 1860s there were commercial photography studios in Japan, which were mostly run by Westerners. Making a photograph was initially a cumbersome and expensive prospect, and the first wave of images created in Japan was for the appreciation of, and trade with, Westerners. But by the late 1860s and early 1870s, we see an entirely different kind of photograph emerge; ambrotype portraits that were made by Japanese practitioners and for Japanese clients. Culled from villages and remote family collections, these photographs (small-scale images, encased in wood) were made as personal keepsakes and intended to be passed-down as precious heirlooms.

Many of these portraits represent a convergence of elements of East and West. They are housed in feather-light, kiri-wood boxes that, thanks to the wood’s natural ability to withstand moisture, have kept their treasures perfectly preserved. Some of the boxes (fascinating artifacts, in and of themselves) feature inscriptions and other forms of personalization, and are shown along with the portraits they accompany.

KIRI WOOD

Portrait of Three Men by Hirota

The kiri-wood presentation cases that house these photographs have been perfectly handcrafted to fit in the palm of one’s hand. Also known as Polonia wood, Kiri wood is a material highly prized in Japan for constructing boxes in which to hold valuable personal goods of all kinds. Because of the wood’s durability, these ambrotypes have withstood the test of time and of Japan’s humid climate, but other forces, such as earthquakes, fires and wartime bombing, have made them incredibly scarce. However, those Japanese ambrotypes that do exist have been preserved in amazing condition. The original owners of the photographs have handled these cases, turned them over and over again. They are both delicate and incredibly durable.