YOKOYAMA Matsusaburo

YOKOYAMA Matsusaburo 横山 松三郎 (1838-1884) Etorofu, Kurile Islands. Prominent early photographer from Hokkaido.

Went to Hakodate, Hokkaido at age 15 to work at a clothing shop until 1856. Interested in Western painting and decided to use photography to learn how to paint.

In Feb. 1864, went to Hong Kong to learn photography, but was unable to find a teacher. Then heard about SHIMOOKA Renjo and boarded a ship for Shinagawa, Tokyo from where he went straight to Yokohama to visit Shimooka to become Shimooka's first of many apprentices.

Returned to Hakodate in Oct. 1864. Learned more about photography from Iosef Antonovich Goshikevitch, a Russian consul in Hakodate. Also learned from KIZU Kokichi.

Opened a photo studio in Ryogoku, Tokyo in 1868. Later moved to Ueno and called his studio Tsutenro. Photography projects included Nikko, Edo Castle (with UCHIDA Kuichi), Kyoto, and Ise.

Taught Western painting at his studio from 1873. From 1876, former apprentice ODA Nobusada took over running the studio. Matsusaburo then began teaching at a military academy until 1881 when illness slowed him down. Had many apprentices and students for both photography and painting.

Sample photos Man with topknot and foreigner (Museum of Fine Arts, Houston)