5. Fuminori, Yokoe "Between the Arrival of the Camera Obscura and the Daguerrotype in Japan," The Advent of photography in Japan Tokyo: Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, 1997.

Fuminori, as his title suggests, discusses the period of time from the arrival of the camera obscura until the time of actual photography, which was presented in the form of a daguerrotype. In this brief but informative article, he focuses on the way in which the arrival of the obscura effected society- mainly the painting and drawing of the time. Using semantics, Fuminori analyses the very word used to talk about this early form of photography &emdash; shashin is a compound word which means "copy, reflect" and "true". In 1646 the camera obscura was a device used to facilitate drawing with more accurate linear progression. The form of perspective was allowed in through Dejima, the only gateway for the west to Japan in a period when Christianity had a ban placed on its practice. The article discusses the effect that the influx of Rangaku had on the Edo period, specifically the ukiyo-e and other forms of art that previously did not exist such as the megane-e (peep show).

This is a historical article that is very interesting. It gives information on trade and the ways in which the west was attempted to be controlled and regulated. It is however rather brief which is somewhat limiting. One gains an understanding of the emergence of east and west during the specific time period and can clearly see the influence of the camera.

Jan Greenfield