documentaries
meijishowa images add accuracy, authencity and visualization to your documentary, TV program or news feature.
Images of everyday life in old Japan
License unique views of Japanese cities, customs and people
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Bakumatsu
Period
1853~1867
Meiji
Period
1868~1912
Taisho
Period
1912~1926
Showa
Period
1926~1989
Ainu
At Work
Bridges
Buildings & Structures
Castles
Children
City Views
Customs
Disasters
Education
Exhibitions
Flowers
Government
Hotels & Inns
Industry
Military
New Year
People
Prostitution
Railways
Religious
Rural
Scenic Views
Shops
Sports
Temples & Shrines
Tokaido
Transport
Weddings
Women
Newspapers
Art & Prints
Advertising
Maps
Historical
Calendar
FAQ
Pricing
Powerful and beautiful images for
exhibitions
The high quality scans of meijishowa's museum-quality vintage images are a dependable choice for exhibitions and presentations. Some of the world's top museums, and many government organizations, work with us.
articles & books
Use our images to illustrate your article or book and tell your story better. Many also make striking book and magazine covers.
interior design
Use a single image to cover a whole wall, or combine images to tell a story and create a mood. Perfect for restaurants, hotels and offices, but also private homes.
marketing & merchandising
Tell a story and increase sales by adding meijishowa images to your videos, print ads and other marketing materials. License images for your packaging, or to print on your products.
Education
Textbooks, presentations, classes, archives, online resources, there is no end to how meijishowa images can add value to your educational program.
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authentic images
High quality scans of original museum-quality vintage photos, advertising flyers, postcards, maps, money, and more.
everyday life
Most images in meijishowa's unique collection have been specifically selected and curated to show daily life in old Japan.
professionally scanned
Each image has been professionally scanned and digitally mastered to bring out the colors and details of the orginal.
print at any size
Need a print to cover a whole wall? No problem! Because we own most of the original images, we can re-scan them at any size.
accurate descriptions
Our carefully researched captions help you find relevant images that won't turn out to be something else than described.
reliable customer support
We are a very small privately owned boutique photo agency. You always deal with the same well-informed and real person.
fast & easy
You can see, search and browse meijishowa images without registration or approval. Start selecting images instantly.
diverse sources
meijishowa offers you distinct and diverse views of old Japan: work by celebrated professional photographers, snap shots from anonymous family albums, news photos, advertising, art, maps.
powerful search
Find images quickly: search by keyword, theme, place, period, decade, artist, tag, or any combination of these search methods.
Distinctive curated collections
people
People at work, students in their classroom, prostitutes posing for clients. meijishowa offers you an astounding collection of images showing everyday life in old Japan.
city views
Panoramic views, street photography, and even images of individual buildings help you paint a picture of what Japan's big cities and country towns looked like in the past.
newspapers
Rare engravings of Japan and the Japanese from old newspapers and periodicals like Le Monde Illustré (France), Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Newspaper (USA) and Illustrated London News (UK).
money
meijishowa has a small collection of vintage Japanese notes in almost pristine condition.
art in daily life
Woodblock advertising flyers for shops, Art Deco promotional postcards for national exhibitions, satirical art, and much more.
maps
Colorful vintage maps of Japanese cities, regions and Japan as a whole. Some drawn in bird's-eye view.
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meijishowa
Boutique photo agency for vintage photographs, art and prints, and maps of Japan between the 1860s and 1930s (Meiji, Taisho, early Showa).
Use meijishowa images for news, documentaries, articles, books, advertising, exhibits, and more.
CURATED PRIVATE COLLECTION — Many of our images are extremely rare and can often not be licensed anywhere else.
meijishowa info
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©2010-2024 MeijiShowa | Warning: Some images contain graphic or potentially objectionable content (eg. victims of disasters, nudity, prostitution)