Nieuwjaarsritueel in Japan 1900 - 1907

This stereo card of a New Year’s ritual was produced in Yokohama, Japan by T. Enami. It is a photographic print mounted on card stock, a format popular in the late 19th century for creating a 3D effect when viewed through a stereoscope. The image shows three women participating in a New Year’s wine ceremony in a domestic interior. Notice the tatami mats, the sliding shoji screens, the kimono, and the carefully arranged display of objects on the tansu chest. All of these elements speak to the material culture of Japan at the time. Enami was known for producing tourist imagery. He employed hand-coloring to add to the attractiveness of his prints, and many of his photographs depict studio scenes, staged for commercial consumption. This does not diminish the historical significance of his photographs, but rather speaks to the nature of photography as a crafted medium, and its role in shaping perceptions of culture and identity. In understanding the process of its making, we can appreciate how deeply intertwined the threads of labor, politics, and consumption are.