Felice Beato's Japan

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I feel as if Felice Beato tried to capture a Japanese sort of essence in this photo, while also making it relateable to a western viewing audience by including the myth of a band of musicians.
The musicians here are very plainly dressed in Japanese style clothing, and also sport very Japanese hairdos. Their instruments also appear foreign, and differ from the style of instruments used by western street performers, creating a feeling of what is Japanese to a westerner. At the same time, their instruments are also recognizable enough so that westerners may have been able to guess at what they sounded like, contributing to the street performer myth.

Together, I think these components make this image very marketable to a western audience. The Japanese feeling derived from the way of dress, and foreign instruments combined with the common myth of street performers allows for an image of Japanese life to be painted in the eyes of a westerner. By building upon the base of the street performer myth, they can create something that is familiar and yet foreign, simultaneously allowing them to make their own inferences about Japanese life and see it in a way that is pleasing to them. Together with the description to the left of the photo, viewers are able to paint an exotic picture of Japan while incorporating their own views.


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This image seems to work to capture the grandeur of Japan's architecture and the pristine feeling of the greenery around it. The foreign design style along with the beauty of the land helps to add to the Westerner's sense of Japan's mystery, and foreign, but intriguing looking architecture.

The buildings featured in the picture are on a grander scale, giving them a sense of importance, greatness, and longevity. The stairs leading away to the buildings enhance this effect, as do the tall trees lining the outskirts of the buildings. Together with a foreign style of construction, these factors would build on Westerner's interest in Japan and its perceived nature of being different, and by relation, somewhat mysterious. The people included within the photo are also dressed in a Japanese style, further adding to the 'foreign' feeling of the photo and appealing to western taste and intrigue.

The text included with this photo is also interesting, as it contrasts with the serene scene, but yet also appeals to western interests in their differences with Japan, such as how justice is delivered. The death of a large number of individuals by beheading would be even more so shocking to a westerner, adding to the perceived foreign nature of Japan, and the picture's worth to the photographer.