Paper short abstract:

In this paper, I discuss the newly emerged ideas of "seeing" after the introduction of photography in Japan, by taking early examples of Meiji spirit photography as a case study and locating them within the tensions between visual modernity and pre-modern systems of vision and knowledge.

Paper long abstract:

Japanese encounters with photography since 1848 transformed previous patterns of vision and visuality. These transformations were far from straightforward. Similarly, the concept of vision, or "seeing", also experienced substantial, yet conflicting changes. Whereas the massive sales of carte-de-visite photographs as a popular commodity of modern material culture had contributed to the flood of images, the exceptionally long-lasting use of unique ambrotype in Meiji Japan was not only triggered by the emotional and culturally perceived moral code of one's visibility in Meiji Japan, but also formed a counter movement against the massive visual overstimulation of Meiji modern visual culture.

To investigate these complex issues surrounding the transformed and contested notions of vision and "seeing" after the introduction of photography in Japan from another perspective, I utilise early examples of Japanese spirit photography as a case study. I aim to discuss the conflicted relationships between spirit photography allegedly capturing invisible spirits and contemporary discourses on photography's vision. My discussion revolves around in particular the tensions between visual modernity and pre-modern systems of vision and knowledge, as well as the shifting ideas of "seeing" within Japanese society. By paying a heightened attention to socio-cultural repercussions of the encounter with photography's technological vision, I aim to find an alternative approach to contextualize and reframe the history of early Japanese photography.