Sino-Japanese War Photographic Album (Naval Volume) - Kazumasa Ogawa, 1895-96 Meiji Collotype Folio

Sino-Japanese War Photographic Album — Naval Volume

A monumental large-format collotype album recording the naval theatre of the First Sino-Japanese War (1894-95), produced by Kazumasa Ogawa, the pioneering Meiji photographer and master of the collotype process in Japan.

Historical Context

The First Sino-Japanese War marked the emergence of Imperial Japan as a modern naval power and reshaped the balance of East Asia at the close of the nineteenth century. This album was issued at the very moment those events entered public memory, presenting the fleets, officers, vessels and coastal operations of the conflict to a contemporary audience. Kazumasa Ogawa (1860-1929) was among the most accomplished photographers of the Meiji era, renowned for introducing and perfecting the collotype in Japan; works bearing his imprint are prized today for their tonal depth and archival permanence.

The Volume

Issued in the 28th-29th years of Meiji (1895-96), this is the Naval Volume of the war record. It comprises plate sequences of 129, 135, 67 and 24 pages, presented in an imposing folio format measuring approximately 31 x 44.5 cm — a scale that allows the collotype plates to be appreciated in full detail. As a primary visual document of late-nineteenth-century East Asian naval history, it belongs to a class of material now seldom encountered intact.

Condition

Offered honestly as a period object more than a century old. Minor wear and light toning are present throughout, with some foxing consistent with age. There is some tearing in part. Overall a substantial and historically important folio presenting very well for its era; please review all images, which form part of the description.

From a curated holding of East Asian historical photographic material, offered by an antiquarian dealer specialising in rare Japanese and East Asian books and documents.