Preface

With the modernization starting in the Meiji era, with natural disasters and war damage, postwar reconstruction and natural land redevelopment, Japanese scenery has changed dramatically. In many areas the things of the past have left no trace and now you can find no reminder of the period. However, materials from the Meiji and Taisho eras possessed in the National Diet Library contain a wealth of photographs both of sights already lost and of buildings that are still familiar to us.

In this digital exhibition, photographs selected from these materials are introduced as "The Meiji and Taisho Eras in Photographs."

First the scenery of Tokyo is picked up. About 500 photographs of famous buildings and sights have been selected from photo books mainly issued in the Meiji era. For your convenience, a search can be done by area names and keywords, and the descriptions have been linked to relevant materials of the Digital Library from the Meiji Era and the Rare Books Image Database. In addition, columns have been prepared for some subjects so that you can learn more about their background and history.