1909 / Photographed by Kazumasa Ogawa / 154 sheets, 2 cases, collotype printing, black leather case, wooden slip case / Giichi Tanaka collection

Photographs of the Crown Prince's Palace (current Akasaka Palace, national treasure), upon its completion. It is a piece of European palace architecture in the neo-baroque style designed by Tokuma Katayama and constructed to house Prince Yoshihito (the Taisho Emperor). The structure is in steel and bricks, and the outer wall made of stone. The best architects, artists and engineers were reunited for this construction, which took ten years to complete. The photographs cover the whole building: the façade, interior decoration, bathroom, corridors and underground facilities. Rintaro Tanaka was granted these photographs for his effort in building leading-edge heating equipment. The Imperial Household Archives hold a gelatin-silver print photo album with almost the same dimensions. It is assumed that there were two types of albums, a luxurious version with a white leather folding case and a normal one with a black leather folding case, dedicated to the Imperial Family. Kazumasa Ogawa produced the collotype version and distributed it to interested parties. Ogawa was named a court artist in 1910, the first time for a photographer.