Uesugi Family's Legacy Photographs - Ties with Yonezawa

Finished

The Uesugi family, former lords of the Yonezawa domain, inherited more than 1,300 photographs from the end of the Edo period to the Showa period (1935-1989). Since the special exhibition "Old Photographs of the Uesugi Family" held in 2016, the museum has been engaged in a research project to collect and compare other photographic materials, identify the subjects and the period of photography, and compare them with documentary materials, in addition to organizing each photograph individually.

Based on the results of this research, this exhibition introduces the relationship between photography and the Uesugi family through portraits of three generations of Uesugi family heads and their families: Narinori, Shigenori, and Noriaki. In particular, Shigenori, the last lord of the Yonezawa domain, studied in England in 1872 (Meiji 5) and later served as the prefectural governor of Okinawa, and the exhibition features rare photographs of the local landscape and the people he interacted with. Portraits of his relatives, former feudal lords, and the former orders of the Meiji era, as well as photographs of Noriaki's wife Fusako (from the Takatsukasa family) and friends, are proof of the Uesugi family's brilliant personal connections. Photographs from the mid-Meiji period onward of the Uesugi family's residences, treasures, events, and places of interest in Yonezawa illustrate the strong ties between the Uesugi family and Yonezawa. Also not to be missed are the photographs of landscapes around Japan, including Atami and Arima hot springs, where the Uesugi family traveled during the Meiji era.

This exhibition will display more than 250 photographs from both the previous and the present exhibition periods and will provide a comprehensive overview of the charm and characteristics of the photographs inherited from the Uesugi family.

First Period: September 17 (Sat) - October 16 (Sun)
Second period: October 22 (Sat) - November 20 (Sun)

[Related Events]
1. Gallery Talk (advance reservation required/please call to make a reservation)
Dates and times:
(1) September 17 (Sat) 17:15 - "Highlights of the Exhibition"
(2) October 22 (Sat) 9:15: “The Uesugi Family's connections and activities in Yonezawa"
Speaker: Shozaburo Sato, curator of the museum
Capacity: (1) 20 persons, (2) 10 persons *Admission fee to the exhibition required

2. Lecture "The Fascination of Photographs from the Uesugi Family's History"
Date: Saturday, October 1, from 14:00
Lecturer: Keiji Mitsui (Curator, Tokyo Metropolitan Foundation for History and Culture)
Capacity: 80 people *Free admission
Venue: Main Conference Room, 2F, Denkoku no Mori
Mini Lecture & Exhibition Explanation "Restoration and Conservation of Photographic Materials: From Bakumatsu-Meiji Period Photographs to Modern Family Photographs
Date & Time: Saturday, November 5, from 14:00
Lecturer: Ms. Mari Miki (photo conservation and restoration)
Capacity: 30 people *Free admission
Venue: Denkoku No Mori 2F Conference Room and Exhibition Room
For more information on the event and how to register, please visit the official website.

Schedule

Sep 17 (Sat) 2022-Nov 20 (Sun) 2022

Opening Hours Information

Hours	9:00-17:00
Closed	Closed on the 4th Wednesday of each month from May to November. Closed on the 3rd Monday of each month from December to March. Closed during the New Year holidays. (12/27-1/1)
Notice	Closed on September 28 and October 26.

Fee

Adults ¥700, University and High School Students ¥450, Junior High and Elementary School Students ¥300

Website

https://www.denkoku-no-mori.yonezawa.yamagata.jp/127shashin.html