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This publication shows how scholarly investigation of Japanese photography in recent years has entered an important transitional stage moving beyond its focus on the introduction of new discoveries and descriptions of collections, to a more sophisticated investigation of photography in historical and cultural contexts. At one time marginalised as either a practical technique or amateur art form, photography has now earned full recognition as an area of scholarly inquiry. It now invites reflection on issues of visuality, technology, and national identity in Japanese art during its transition to modernity as well as in contemporary society. Contributions by Himeno Junichi (on the early development of photography in Japan), Sebastian Dobson (focussing on the colourful figure of Felice Beato), Luke Gartlan (on Baron Raimond von Stillfried-Ratenicz), Allen Hockley (on photographic albums produced by commercial studios in the 1880s and 1890s), Kinoshita Naoyuki (exploring the tradition of war portraiture in Japan) and Mikiko Hirayama (describing the transition from the pioneering stages of photography in Japan into the modern era).