OLD PHOTOS of JAPAN, a photo blog of Japan in the Meiji, Taisho and Showa periods

View Cart Old Photos of Japan
shows photos of Japan between the 1860s and 1930s. In 1854, Japan opened its doors to the outside world for the first time in more than 200 years. It set in motion a truly astounding transformation. As fate would have it, photography had just been invented. As the old country vanished and a new one was born, daring photographers took photos. Discover what life was like with their rare and precious photographs of old Japan.

What makes this site special?
Bookmark this site
Feeds for Old Photos of Japan: RSS and Atom
Coming Soon!
Advertising

Japanese Furniture
Asian-inspired furniture and kitchen cabinets from greentea design

Old Books on Japan
Find rare and collectible books on Japan at eBay!

Japanese Friends
Make friends or find your perfect love. 1.5 million+ members!

Good Book Tip
Unbeaten Tracks in Japan • Isabella L. Bird
Unbeaten Tracks in Japan

In 1878, just 19 years after Japan opened it first ports to the world, and a mere ten years after the fall of the Tokugawa Shogunate, an adventurous 47-year old woman from the UK set out to explore the interior of Japan. The country was virtually unknown to Westerners, and a woman traveling only with a guide seemed outrageous. Everybody advised her not to, but she went anyway and wrote this unique and vivid journal of what she saw and experienced.


Buy now at Amazon!
More book tips
Recent Comments  
  • Kjeld Duits

    Thanks, Naomi, for sharing that information. I just did a quick search in Japanese, but …

  • Naomi Graham

    This is a very lovely photograph of my favourite postcard models! I believe her name is …

1910s • Woman in Striped Kimono

Tags: UnknownTaishoStudio
Tools: send an e-carddownload this photo share this
Japanese Woman in Kimono

A melancholic image of a young Japanese woman with a slightly modern Japanese hairstyle. She is holding her hand, hidden in a piece of cloth, close to her chin. It makes her look very bashful and shy. During the early 20th century, picture postcards of bijin (beautiful women) were extremely popular in Japan (see Woman with Rose)

Thanks to Naomi Graham, for giving a name to this beautiful face. This is Momotaro (桃太郎), who was a maiko, and later a geiko in Gion Kobu, the largest hanamachi (geisha district) in Kyoto.

It is difficult to date this photo, but it is either from the late 1910s, or early 1920s.

Advertising

Japanese Furniture
Asian-inspired furniture and kitchen cabinets from greentea design

Click here to buy text ads

Map not available
Photographer: Unknown
Publisher: AZO
Medium: Postcard
Image Number: 70206-0043
Quote this number when you contact us about licensing this image
Blog This!
Paste this into your blog to let your readers know about this vintage photo of Japan:
<a href="http://oldphotosjapan.com/en/photos/396/woman-in-striped-kimono">1910s • Woman in Striped Kimono</a>

A melancholic image of a young Japanese woman with a slightly modern Japanese hairstyle. She is holding her hand, hidden in a piece of cloth, close to her chin. It makes her look very bashful and shy. During the early 20th century, picture postcards of bijin (beautiful women) were extremely popular in Japan (see Woman with Rose)

Thumbnail URL: http://oldphotosjapan.com/images/57t.jpg
Posted by Kjeld Duits • 2008-09-24
Add Comment

This is a very lovely photograph of my favourite postcard models!

I believe her name is Momotaro, and she was a maiko / geiko in Kyoto during Taisho era. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to find out any further information about her, but she appears to have been a very popular model at the time!

I’ve spent many years collecting postcards of her (here is my collection of Momotaro postcards) and even have one from the same photo shoot (you’ll notice her haneri, kimono and hairstyle is the same).

Thank you for sharing!

# Naomi Graham · 2009-07-29

Thanks, Naomi, for sharing that information. I just did a quick search in Japanese, but Momotaro is such a common name because of the fairy-tale that I wasn’t able to find anything. I am amazed at how many cards you have of her. Even more amazing, somehow I managed to find a card that is not yet part of your large collection.

# Kjeld Duits · 2009-07-29








Formatting Help

NOTE: Your e-mail address is required, but will not be displayed.