Pre-Modern Era Photo Studio
Pentax K-1 II + DFA 28-105mm F3.5-5.6
28 mm ISO 400 for 1/320 sec. at ƒ/8.0
Pentax K-1 II + DFA 28-105mm F3.5-5.6
34 mm ISO 800 for 1/100 sec. at ƒ/9.0
Preserved Pre-Modern Era Photo Studio
Location: Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum, Koganei, Tokyo
Timestamp: 13:11 and 13:19 on October 25, 2023
The Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923 wreaked havoc upon central Tokyo, causing the collapse of buildings and, tragically, igniting fires. In its aftermath, Tokyo embarked on an ambitious journey to rebuild the city, employing modern city planning techniques that encompassed a grid-pattern network of streets, parks, electric power lines, natural gas lines, waterworks, and sewage lines.
However, the costs associated with this modernization and urban planning surpassed the national budget, leading to a significant reduction in the scale of these developments, which were then limited to only a few specific areas of Tokyo. The Tokiwadai neighborhood was among the fortunate areas selected for city planning, resulting in the construction of modern architectural structures.
Erected in 1937 within the Tokiwadai residential neighborhood of Itabashi Ward, Tokyo, near the former Musashi-Tokiwa Station (now Tokiwadai Station) on the Tobu-Tojo Line, the Tokiwadai Photo Studio stands as a rare example to the vision that architects and city planners held for Tokyo's rebirth.
The building's first floor housed the owner's private residence, featuring a bathroom, kitchen, three bedrooms, an office, lavatory, and a small study.
On the second floor, there was an office/workspace and a spacious photo studio. This studio boasted a sloped ceiling, allowing the installation of large frosted glass windows on the northern side of the building. This architectural choice ensured ample soft lighting, a characteristic feature of early 20th-century photo studios, owing to the absence of modern lighting equipment at the time.
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