Restored Tokyo Imperial Palace Bridge Lamp from 1888
Pentax K-1 II + DFA 28-105mm F3.5-5.6
105 mm ISO 200 for 1/125 sec. at ƒ/7.1
Restored Tokyo Imperial Palace Bridge Lamp from 1888
Location: Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum, Tokyo
Timestamp: 16:12 on October 25, 2023
Captured in my image is an ornamental electric light, a stunning example of Baroque style, originally positioned at the main gate of the Imperial Palace in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, from the late 1880s to the mid-1890s.
These lights, one of six affixed to the parapets on each side of the stone bridge, served as the formal entrance to the Imperial Palace grounds. They were exclusively illuminated during the Emperor's departure for significant state occasions, official visits by state guests, or when ambassadors presented their credentials.
Manufactured in 1888 by Harkort, a German company that I had initially presumed to be artisans of Baroque street lamps, these lights have a deeper historical connection.
Harkort, primarily recognized for pioneering railway bridge construction and steel structures for growing rail traffic throughout parts of the world, played a pivotal role in modernizing Japan's railway lines.
While these exquisite vintage lamps are scattered across Japan, including at the Meiji Mura open-air museum in Aichi Prefecture and the Ueno campus of the Tokyo University of the Arts in Taito Ward, Tokyo, Harkort's impact in Japan extended far beyond ornamental lighting.
In reality, Harkort's influence in Japan was more profound in promoting the country's railway modernization. The company exported steel railway bridges to Japan for use on the Kyushu Railways in Kyushu and the Kobu Railways in Tokyo during the late 1880s.
A testament to their enduring legacy, a Harkort steel truss bridge still stands today on the Koishikawa-bashi Bridge near Suidobashi Station on the JR Chuo Line in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo.
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