Historic portraits of 1860s Japan found in a box | BBC Global

In the 1880s, Japan's first professional photographer, Ukai Gyokusen, buried hundreds of his delicate glass plate negatives in a 'photo tomb' at Tokyo’s Yanaka Cemetery. With them went most traces of Ukai's crucial role in early Japanese photography. Some of these surviving photos were recovered in the 1950s but those images, and Ukai's legacy, became overlooked once more – virtually lost again for decades. That was until late 2025, when a descendant of Ukai Gyokusen discovered a mysterious box of old photos. For more on the story of Ukai Gyokusen, you can find our previous Time Frame episode ‘The curious case of Japan's photo pioneer who buried his legacy’, made before the latest development, in this playlist. Subscribe to BBC Global: https://www.youtube.com/c/bbc_global?sub_confirmation=1 For the latest news, analysis and features visit: www.bbc.com #bbc #Japan #history