The Re-Envisioning Japan collection began in 2000 with a search for photographic images of early 20th century Japan that might bring the landscape and life of that period into sharper focus. As a result, postcards from the 1900s - 1930s that were readily available through online auctions seeded the collection. I was originally drawn to postcards as visual records of place but soon came to appreciate the many ways that they connect us to the past. Postcards are a versatile format. They encompass a variety of subgenres: snapshot news communications; souvenirs of events, people, and places; casual greetings, pen pal exchanges, or missives that are deeply personal. At least seventeen subgenres make up this object category in this collection, roughly falling into the border-crossing threads that characterize this project: e.g., tourism and travel (hotels, transportation, destinations); visual records of Japan’s presence at international and domestic expositions and exhibitions; advertising, leisure, and entertainment; social work, edification, and information; commemorative events, propaganda, and nationalistic sentiment of both foreign and domestic origin (glimpses of Japan’s rising profile in the international world order). These categories are only examples of the rich diversity that characterizes this mode of communication. Many of these postcards replicate established photographic genres, such as social “types” or prominent tourist locations emblematic of Japan; these in particular might have been collected as souvenirs. Others are notable for their personal messages, reminding us of the days when the postcard was ubiquitous as a global unit of personal communication.
Zojoji, Shiba (Great Tokyo)
Zojoji Temple, Tokyo
Zōjō-ji
Yuigahama of Kamakura
Young samurai with pole
Young Japan
You Tellum, Soldier Boy!
Yoiyama song (the night before the Gion Matsuri)
Yawata Chikuzen
Yasukuni Shrine
Yasuka Hikōkibu advertisement
Yasaka Shrine
Yamagata Movie District
Yaesu Hotel, Tokyo: Looking Out over Tokyo's Rooftops
Working Woman
Women Playing Hanetsuki
Women of an Ainu village pounding rice in a mortar
Women Divers at Work
Woman and Child (S. Chiostri)
Wisteria Blossom, Kameido, Tokyo
Wistaria (6959)
Winter Sports
Which will arrive first? (Insurance ad)
West Entrance to Japanese Tea Garden, San Francisco
We'll Blow the Jap off the Map! (JC9)
Views from car window at River Fuji
View of the Peerless Seen from Mitsu Pass
VIew of the Mountaintop (Famous Sites of Rokkō)
View of Sendai {View of the City Center)
View of Matsubara from Omoto Park
View of Koizumi Kanazawa
View of Kobe Harbour from Suwayama Hill
View of golf links on Mt. Rokko
View of Godaido, Matsushima
View of Ginza from Sukiyabashi, Tokyo
View of Arashiyama, Kyoto
View of Arashiyama, Kyoto
View of Arashiyama, Kyoto
Utamaro - Child Upsetting a Goldfish Bowl
Utagahama, Chuzenji, Lake Nikko
Usa Jingu and Famous Grotto
Ura-Rokkō - A Roadway Up the Mountain (Famous Sites of Rokkō)
United for Democracy
Under Two Flags
Ueno Zoo
Ueno Station
Ueno Lotus Pond (Tokyo)
Ueno Broadway, from Northwest, Tokyo
Two Women (1904)
Two women
Two samurai and a merchant
Two of a Kind! (JC10)
Twin Bridge, Imperial Palace, Tokyo (002)
Tsukiko Sazanami, Akiko Hisami, Mitsuko Baisho
Triumphant Military Review, 1906
Triumphant battle flag
Treaty of Versailles Commemorative postcard (July 1, 1919)
Torii of Itsukushima, MIyajima
Tombs of the Loyal Forty-Seven Rōnin
Tokyo Under Ground Railway (Great Tokyo)
Tokyo Tower
Tokyo Tower
Tokyo Station (Great Tokyo)
Tōkyō Shiyakusho (Tokyo Municipal Office)
Tokyo Kaikwan
Tokyo Business Centre
Tokyo / Ginza (21st century)
Togetsu Bridge, Kyoto
Three samurai before a castle
Those Japs will soon be Slap-Happy! (JC3)
The Zoological Garden (Ueno Park)
The Yasukuni Shrine in Kudan
The Wonderful Sight of Tozinbo at Echizen
The Wonderful Sight of Tozinbo at Echizen
The Wonderful Sight of Tozinbo at Echizen
The Wonderful Sight of Tozinbo at Echizen
The Wonderful Sight of Tozinbo at Echizen
The Wonderful Sight of Tozinbo at Echizen
The Wonderful Sight of Tozinbo at Echizen
The Wholesale Fish Market in Nihonbashi
The Whole View of Kobe City
The View of Miyanoshita, the Most Bustling Place on Mt. Hakone
The View of Gora Pleasure Ground Taking Advantage of Natural Rocks and Forests, Hakone
The View from Ueno (Tokyo)
The View from a Bed Room Kanaya Hotel, Nikko
The Ueno Shinobazu Ike Tokyo
The trout Pond, Rokko-san Country-house and the rooms to let. Ryounso
The Tokyo Station, Tokyo
The Tea Ceremony
The Sunrise at Top of Mt. Fuji
The Spider Warching by the Window (6951)
The Silver Pavilion, Kyoto
The silk worms about 20 days after they hatched
The Shrine of Asakusa
The Shishinden of Imperial Palace, Kyoto
The Shinkaichi, Kobe
The Shinbashi Station, Tokyo (Famous Places in Tokyo)
The Shanghai Tea Room, Denver, Colorado
The Seaside of Dannoura
The Scenery of Obasute Mt. at Shinano
The scenery of Kōrai Bridge and Muko River, Takarazuka
The Ryogoku Bridge, Tokyo
The Russian fleet was destroyed by the Japanese fleet at Port Arthur
The Restorative Asakusa Rokku, Tokyo Famous Places of Social Amusements
The Residence of the late Gen. Nogi
The Rear Attack of Port Arthur
The Park of the Shrine
The Original Yamamoto & Miss Koyoshi Troupe
The Nunobiki Waterfall at Kobe
The Nio Gate of Kanon at Asakusa
The Nihongekijo Theatre and The Kokusai Theatre
The Nihonbashi Bridge, Tokyo
The Nihonbashi Bridge
The night of Kyoto
The Mitsukoshi Dept. Store, Nihonbashi; The Takashimaya Dept. Store, Nihonbashi; the Nihonbashi Bridge
The Mitsukoshi Department Store, Tokyo (Famous Places in Tokyo)
The Mitsubishi and Sumitomo Building Standing High on the Thoroughfare, Nagoya
The Minatogawa Shrine, Kobe
The Mibu Farce, Kyoto
The Matsuzakaya Department Store at Ueno, Tokyo
The Majestic Summit (Famous Sites of Rokkō)
The Main Temple of Asakusa Kwannon
The Main Hall of the Meiji-jingu (Great Tokyo)
The Main Hall of Asakusa Kannon (Great Tokyo)
The Maiko
The Lighthouse Seen from Kimigaoka
The late Mme. Nogi (5)
The late Gen. Nogi's Corpse drawn by soldiers & his loved horses (4)
The Lake-Side Hotel
The Kyosubashi Bridge, The Asakusa Main Street, The Subway, Tokyo
The Kokugikan Riogaku, Tokyo (Famous Places in Tokyo)
The Karasumaru St., Kyoto
The Jidai-Matsuri Festival
The Japanese International Congress Representatives
The Japanese Garden, Allenwood Inn on Lake Champlain Burlington, Vermont
The Japan Rhine
The Japan Rhine
The Iron Bridge Crossed on the Steep Rocks 60 Metres High, Hakone
The Interior of the Holy Resurrection Cathedral
The Imperial Theatre, Tokyo
The Hozu Rapids, Kyoto and The Yamanaka Art Gallery (one of the ceremonial Tea Rooms)
The Horikiri Iris Garden
The Hitachi Hiraiso
The Hippopotamus, Ueno Zoo
The highest peak of Mt. Rokko 932 m. above sea
The Head Office of the South Manchurian Railway Co., Dairen
The Hall of the Great Buddha at Todaiji Temple
The Hakone Lake
The Great Harbour, Kobe
The Great Crater at Mt. Fuji
The Great Buddha Kamakura Japan
The Great Bell Tower, Asakusa, Japan
The Graveyard of the late Gen. Nogi at Aoyama
The Grand View of Mt. Fuji
The Grand Sight of Sanjo Street Where the Several Shops and Company Arranged
The Grand Sight of Ginza Street, Tokyo
The Ginza Main Street; Kabukiza Theatre, Tokyo
The Ginza Main Street, Tokyo
The Garden of Togyokwan Hotel, Sukegawa, Hitachi
The Garden of the Shrine Yasukuni Jin-sha & Yushukan
The Full View of Hakone Town, the Stage-Post in the Old Feudal Times, Crowded with Knights, Hakone
The Flower Watch, Kobe
The Fishing Ground of the East Seaside at Takahama, Wakasa
The Famous Beppu
The Entrance of Ueno Park (Great Tokyo)
The Elevated Railway
The Doll festival for girls, the Boy's festival for boys
The Distant View of Tokyo Japan
The Diet Building of Japan
The Diet Building of Japan
The Dance of Hakodate Song
The Daibutsu at Kamakura and Nikko Temples
The Crown Prince's Return to the Capital
The Crown Prince in London
The Crater on the Summit of Mt. Fuji
The Copper-Statue of Saigo, Uyeno Park, Tokyo
The Commemoration of the Peace Exhibition in Tokyo, 1922
The City Hall, Kyoto
The Cha-no-yu or Tea Ceremony and The Odori - A Dramatic Dance
The Castle of Matsuyama, Iyo
The Bronze of Nanko in Marunouchi (Great Tokyo)
The Black Market in Hibiya Park
The Bird For the Job! (JC4)
The Big Torii, Miyajima, Inland Sea
The Beach of Suma, Kobe
The Beach at Yokosuka
The Bank of Japan
The antique clocktower . . . a famous landmark in Sapporo
The Allied Powers
The Akasaka Imperial Palace
The 5th Annual Field Day, Aoyama Gakuin
The 10th Anniversary of the Shinkansen
Thanks to Our Soldiers
Temple Kiyomizu at Kyoto
Tea-picking girls
Tea House, Japanese Garden, Eagles Nest, Clearwater, Belleair, Fla.
Tea House and Entrance, Japanese Tea Garden, Golden Gate Park, San Francisco, California
Tea Grinding
Tanaka Kinuyo (promotional still)
Tales from Japan (6965)
Taking a Walk
Takamine Hideko (promotional still)
Sweet Dreams of Love (6947)
Sunrise in Japan
Sunrise from Daikanbo, Volcano Aso
Summer Resort, Miyanoshita, Japan (Chase & Sanborn)
Subway
Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, Japanese Gardens of Mr. and Mrs. Michael Warner
Stone Monument in Nagasaki Park with Engravings of Gen. U.S. Grant's Autograph
Stewardesses
Steps to Shinto Shrine, Naha, Okinawa
Steep place, Oyashirazu in Mt. Fuji
Steamer leaving off the pier of Kobe
Star Festival
Spring in Ueno Park
Sport of Sea Shore
Spinning Cotton
Souvenir of Tokyo's Pigeon Bus Tour's Jan 29th, 1963
Souvenir of Rokko Postcard Set Envelope
Souvenir of Anglo-Japanese Alliance
Snowy Views of Mt. Fuji
Snowy peaks and ravines in Daisetsuzan National Park
Snow Tunnel (Snow in Nagaoka City)
Snow Tunnel (Snow in Nagaoka City)
Snow Country
Skating in Nikko from December to February (Nikko-Kanaya Hotel)
Sixth District of Asakusa Park (Asakusa Entertainment Center)
Sightseeing Bus and Guide
Shouts of Bon Voyage! and Cascades of Paper Ribbons Mingle as N.Y. K. Ship Departs
Shōkyokusai Tenkatsu
Shirataki Fudo at Dzushi
Shinto Temple at Nagasaki
Shinjuku eki (Shinjuku Station)
Shining Ginza by Countless Neon Lamps
Shijo Daimarufukin, Kyoto
Shiba Tōshōgu Shrine
She Visited the Temple With In Full Dress
Shanghai Storyteller
Shakuhachi, or Direct Bamboo Flute Store
Senju Bridge (between Fukagawa and Nihonbashi)
Senjōkaku Hall and Pagoda
Sea in the Clouds at Gogome
Sea Bathing in Kashiwazaki Bay (Famous Sites of Kashiwazaki)
Scenic Attractions at Lake Kawaguchi
Scenes from the Loyal Forty-Seven Ronin
Scenes from the Loyal Forty Seven Ronin
Sarusawa Pond, Nara
Sarusawa Pagoda at Nara
Sapporo Beer advertisement
Sanjusangen-do at Kyoto
Sanbashi to Zeikan Tsuruga (Tsuruga Meishō)
Samurai striking with sword
Salute to the Japanese Flag (1906)
Sakuradamon Gate
Sakaemachi Street, Kobe
Saigo's Bronze Statue (Tokyo)
S.S. Chiyo Maru, The Torii and the Futaarasan Temple, Nikko
S.S. Chiyo Maru, Public Garden at Takamatsu
S.S. Chiyo Maru, Ancient Daimyo
Ryōgokubashi and Kokugikan
Ryōgoku Kokugikan (Ryōgoku Sumo Hall)
Russo-Japanese Peace Commission in Conference at Portsmouth Navy Yard U.S.A., August 1905 (Peace Commission Post Card
Russia Man-of-War in Port
Romantic View of Lake Side, Fuji-Hakone National Park
Rokkakudo, Kyoto
River Tamagawa (Tokyo)
River Hotsu, Kyoto
Revere Beach, Mass., Japanese Village, Wonderland Park
Putting the Heel in the Right Place! (JC8)
Promotional Still, Takarazuka Revue
Promotional Still, Takarazuka Revue
Promotional Still, Takarazuka Revue
Promotional Still, Takarazuka Revue
Promenade Deck of N.Y.K. Orient-California Line
Princess Nagako will be consort of Prince Regent
Prince Regent on Horseback
Prince Hirohito and Princess Nagako
Primary School Commemorative postcard
Primary School Commemorative postcard
Primary School Commemorative postcard
Primary School Commemorative postcard
Primary School Commemorative postcard
Primary School Commemorative postcard
Postcard signed by the artist (Nanni), 1909
Postal Commemorative postcard, 1919
Place of scenic (physical) beauty, Arashiyama
Picture of movies, taking a still of Sessue Hayakawa, Antioch
Philco Series (Many Happy Returns), 1910
Peace commemorative postcard (July 1, 1919)
Panoramic view of Takarazuka
Panoramic view of Battleships
Panorama of Kobe Harbor
Pagoda at Yasaka, Kyoto
Pagoda at Tokyo
P.F.L. Serie XVII, No. 1398
Our Japanese Sweetheart
Our Army Captured Takubokujo
On Kototo-bashi Bridge, Tokyo
On Board S.S. Mongolia, Mt. Fuji, Japan
On Board S.S. Manchuria, Wisteria Arbor, Japan
On Board S.S. Manchuria, Temple Gate, Japan
Oishibashi Airport, Manchuria
Ohara Woman, Kyoto
O-koto-san returns home and chats to her maid while partaking of supper
O-koto-san receives a letter from her fiance at the war
O-koto-san at her morning toilet
O-koto-san arrives at her friend's house
North Japan College (Tohoku Gakuin) and Dormitory, Sendai Japan
North Beach Chejoo
Noh Plays
Nogi Villa (Akasaka)
Noboribetsu, the most popular of Hokkaido's hotsprings
