✳︎ Book Title: Reconstruction of Modern Japan: Saburo Ishizuka's Collection of Meiji and Taisho Era Glass Plate Photographs, Nikon Salon Books 26 ✳︎ Publication Year: 1999 ✳︎ Published by: Nikon Nikkor Club ✳︎ Design: Seiichi Suzuki Design Office ✳︎ Size: 24 x 26 cm ✳︎ Pages: 163p This is a highly valuable book, carefully selected from a vast collection of glass plate photographs, capturing the daily life and customs of Japan during the mid-Meiji to Taisho periods (1894-1926). The photographer, Saburo Ishizuka, was a dentist from Niigata Prefecture, a politician who served two terms in the House of Representatives, and a close friend of Hideyo Noguchi, a world-renowned bacteriologist. He was a man of many talents, but he was particularly passionate about photography, organizing the amateur photography group "Hokuetsu Shayukai" in the Taisho era. The approximately 2,200 photographs remaining from Ishizuka, housed in the Yoshida Togo Memorial Museum, capture the lives of ordinary people, landscapes, customs, politicians, and the impact of natural disasters in a wide range of locations, including Niigata, Tokyo, Gunma, Nagano, Shizuoka, and Toyama. These photographs offer a close-up perspective, distinct from official records or tourist photographs of the time. The greatest appeal of this photo collection lies in the breath of life of the Meiji and Taisho eras captured by the glass plate photographs (glass negatives). The use of this old material, with its stable glass support, produces a high level of detail and a unique atmosphere and texture that is difficult to replicate in modern photography. Nikon Salon Books are distributed to members and are not for sale. As a collection of works that vividly conveys the spirit of modern Japan, this catalog is a must-have for anyone who loves the world of the old days. #GlassPlate #GelatinDryPlate #WetPlatePhotography #Pictorialism #ModernPhotography #TaishoRomance #SaburoIshizuka #HokuetsuShayukai #MeijiPhotography NiigataArea EchigoRegion #ModernJapan #NikonSalonBooks #OldPhotos #TaishoDemocracy EggYolkPhotography