Description: pictorialist image by Kihei Tamamura printed in 1912 (see bio below). Toned bromide gelatin silver print with the Tamamura studio name in the recto. This image was distributed by Tejiro Takagi, the proprietor of Kozaburo Tamamura's Kobe branch. Takagi purchased this branch in 1903 and continued to operate it under the Tamamura name until 1914. This photo can be dated to exactly 1912 as this was the only year the Kobe branch used the title "The Tamamura". Although most of the photographs sold through the Kobe gallery were taken by Takagi himself, he was never known to be a practicing pictorialist. A similar image of this same model and location with the blind stamp K. Tamamura of Yokohama was offered in the Be-hold Auction in October, 2008. This backs up the claim this image was taken by Kihei as it's not likely the Tamamuras were distributing Takagi's work with their association nearing an end. Likewise, pictorialism was the domain of Kihei within the Tamamura family business

Additional note: this misty forest scene is an early example of Japanese pictorialism and done in the style of Suizan Kurokawa who's considered the father of this genre in Japan. It is also an early example of the use of toned bromide gelatin silver paper in Japan. This photo paper became quite popular in Japan from 1915 to 1940.

Condition: print is in excellent condition.

Kihei Tamamura:
DOB: unknown: died 1951

Kihei Tamamura was one of Japan's leading pictorialist from the early days of this movement. He was also the son of Kozaburo Tamamura, the famous Meiji Era commercial photographer who built a photo empire based out of Yokohama. Kihei seems to have turned professional around 1900 and have taken over his father’s firm shortly thereafter. He is also thought to have taken many of the classic hand colored tourist views for his father's firm from that time. When the pictorialism movement hit Japan around 1910, Kihei became quite active in this genre and became known as one of the leading Japanese art photographers from 1915 to 1930. When the Great Kanto Earthquake struck Japan in 1923, his father’s business was destroyed which may have oddly freed up Kihei to devote more time to his passion of art photography. However the family business was in ruin and never recovered. Kihei’s work can often be found in Japanese photo journals and photo annuals during the 1920s including the the Camera Work like photo journal “Hakuyo”; and several of the Japan Photographic Annuals by Asahi Shimbun Publishing in the late 1920s. In the journals from the mid to late 1920s Kihei is always listed as being a resident of Osaka. He is often confused with his father by historians but is easy to identify due to the pictorialist style of his images.