(Portrait of Tokudaiji Kimihiro and man) （徳大寺公弘とひとりの男性）

Born and raised in Gifu Prefecture, ESAKI Reiji (1845-1910) taught himself photography by reading YANAGAWA Shunsan’s Shashin Kagami Zusetsu (Illustrated Guide to Photography). In 1871, he moved to Tokyo, where he continued his studies with SHIMOOKA Renjo and other photographers before opening his own studio in Asakusa Koen in 1873. In 1883, he used imported gelatin plates to photograph speedboat races and torpedo explosions, the first instantaneous photography in Japan. He called himself the fast-shooter photographer. In 1898, he was elected to the Tokyo City Council and later was appointed president of the company operating the Asakusa Ryounkaku, Japan’s first skyscraper. This photograph from 1874 is believed to have been created shortly after Esaki Reiji opened his studio and are rare his use of the ambrotype.