Kusakabe Kimbei (Japanese, 1841–1934) was a photographer whose images shaped how the outside world first visualized Japan during the late nineteenth century. Beginning his career as a photographic colorist in the studios of foreign photographers in Yokohama, he mastered the delicate process of hand-coloring photographs before opening his own studio in 1881.
Kimbei’s photographs combine careful staging with richly applied color, presenting scenes of everyday life, landscapes, and portraits that appear decoratively documentarian. Many were assembled into accordion-style albums and sold to international travelers, circulating widely beyond Japan. Kimbei became one of the most successful and influential photographers of the Meiji era.
