By In the quiet streets of 1850s Edo (modern-day Tokyo), Japan’s first encounter with photography marked the beginning of a revolutionary artistic journey that would reshape global visual culture. When Dutch traders introduced the daguerreotype to Japanese shores, they ignited a passion that would transform both technical innovation and artistic expression for generations to come.
From the pioneering work of Ueno Hikoma, who established Japan’s first commercial photography studio in 1862, to the groundbreaking innovations of companies like Nikon and Canon in the twentieth century, Japanese photography has consistently …
