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Ports in Old Photos and Ukiyo-e Prints
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About this collection
Harbor views from Meiji-era photo albums and woodblock prints: from Tomonoura on the Inland Sea and Toba in Shima, to the treaty ports of Kobe and Yokohama, and Kuwana on the Tokaido. These are shorelines of stone walls and boats, from before concrete breakwater blocks lined the coast.
Waiting for the Tide, Waiting for the Wind
Tomo, in "Port of Tomo," thrived as a port where ships waited for the tide to turn. Toba, in "Shima Toba Harbor," was where sailing ships sheltered from rough seas to wait for a fair wind. Until the mid-Meiji era, boatmen there are said to have climbed Hiyoriyama hill to read the next day's weather.
Treaty Ports from Above
"Panorama of Kobe Harbor" comes from a 1901 photo album. The port of Kobe opened on January 1, 1868. "Yokohama Harbor" looks out across the town of Yokohama, whose port opened in 1859.
Shores Before the Breakwater Blocks
At the landing in "Ferry Landing, Kuwana," boats loaded with cargo line up. A company making Tetrapods, a kind of concrete breakwater block, was set up in Japan in 1961. They protect the shore from waves, but in return, for better or worse, views like this slowly faded away.
Based on the National Diet Library's catalog records and our notes on each image.Published
Old photos: 11 · Woodblock prints: 6
