Out of the blue—a quiz. Who is in the photo at upper left? Hint: someone active from the end of the Edo period through the Meiji era.
The answer is Katsu Kaishu (1823–1899). When you hear Katsu, many remember photos from before the Meiji Restoration—his thirties, when he visited the United States aboard the Kanrin Maru, as at lower left. The photo at upper left is from his fifties. Not exactly a heartthrob you would grab off the street, but does he not look decidedly more handsome than in his youth?
The opening photo is one of 4,531 portraits of imperial family members, ministers, and military leaders photographed in 1879 (Meiji 12) when the Imperial Household Ministry (today's Imperial Household Agency) collected photographs, with shooting continuing through the next year at the Ministry of Finance Printing Bureau (today's National Printing Bureau, an independent administrative agency) and elsewhere. Compiled at Emperor Meiji's command—"I want photographs of my retainers at hand"—into 39 volumes as "Jinbutsu Shashincho" (Album of Portrait Photographs). Part of it is on view now at "Meiji 12: By Imperial Command—'Jinbutsu Shashincho,' Portraits of Some 4,500 People" at the Sannomaru Shozokan in the East Gardens of the Imperial Palace. Today the 8th is closed; only March 9 and 10 remain (free admission; the Shozokan is about a ten-minute walk from Palaceside Building—enter through Ote-mon and it is immediately on the right).
This exhibition is said to be the first public showing of "Jinbutsu Shashincho." For eight who had died by publication—Okubo Toshimichi, Kido Takayoshi, and others—pre-mortem photos were used, it seems. The timing was after the Satsuma Rebellion of Meiji 10 and the Takebashi Incident of Meiji 11, when the government had gained a stronger sense of stability.
Another quiz. The four photos at upper left—you have surely seen them before. From left: Ito Hirobumi (1841–1909), Okuma Shigenobu (1838–1922), Togo Heihachiro (1848–1934), Sanjo Sanetomi (1837–1891). Except for Sanjo's photo from his youth, the others are generally from near the end of lives when they had achieved fame. Now—which of ①–④ matches A–D at lower left in "Jinbutsu Shashincho"? (Answers at the end.)
The Imperial Household Agency website explains this exhibition: "In an era when few had the chance to be photographed, portrait sessions for this album may have been many people's first experience. That so many senior officials were photographed is thought to have greatly advanced the spread of photography in Japan."
The answers: ① = D, ② = B, ③ = A, ④ = C. At the time "Jinbutsu Shashincho" was issued, Ito, Okuma, and Sanjo were around forty, Togo about thirty. Sanjo's photo ④ is from even younger days, but the other three look much younger and sharper in the album than in ①–③.