> Having obtained the camera, the daimyo ordered his retainers to study it and produce working photographs. One of these retainers was Ichiki Shirō (市来 四郎). Ichiki had previously excelled in the study of gunpowder production, which involved an understanding of chemistry.
> To the daimyo’s delight, on September 17, 1857, Ichiki succeeded in creating a portrait of Shimazu dressed in formal attire. Ichiki recorded his struggles, and eventual triumph in mastering the camera, in his memoirs which he compiled in 1884.
Does anyone know if these are available in an English translation? Sounds like it'd be a fascinating read - I wonder how much of the memoirs are taken up by the nearly-decade-long process of mastering the use of that camera.
> To the daimyo’s delight, on September 17, 1857, Ichiki succeeded in creating a portrait of Shimazu dressed in formal attire. Ichiki recorded his struggles, and eventual triumph in mastering the camera, in his memoirs which he compiled in 1884.
Does anyone know if these are available in an English translation? Sounds like it'd be a fascinating read - I wonder how much of the memoirs are taken up by the nearly-decade-long process of mastering the use of that camera.