The Japan Camera Museum will be holding a special exhibition, “100th Anniversary of the Showa Era: The Story of Cameras in the Showa Era, Part 1: 1926-1954,” from Tuesday, February 11th to Sunday, June 22nd, 2025.
The year 2025 marks the 100th year of the Showa era, counting from the first year of the Showa era (December 25, 1926). To commemorate this, the exhibition will provide a bird’s-eye view of camera technology and industry, particularly in Japan, during the Showa era.
Japan Camera Museum Showa Exhibition Details
The Showa era can be said to have been a time when the photography and camera industries in Japan and around the world saw great development. In the long period leading up to 1989, a wide variety of cameras were manufactured, influenced by various social conditions as well as the development of camera technology. This time, as part one of the “Showa Camera Story,” cameras manufactured between 1926 (Showa 1) and 1954 (Showa 29) will be exhibited.
From the first half of the Showa era to the postwar reconstruction period, Japanese cameras began to move towards full-scale industrialization. After World War II, cameras became a major export item during the postwar reconstruction period, and in 1954, the Japan Camera Inspection Association (now the Japan Camera Foundation) and the Japan Camera Manufacturers’ Association (now the Camera and Imaging Products Association) were founded, establishing Japan as an export industry and rapidly expanding production. This was also a time when many cameras were manufactured in other countries and imported to Japan. Advanced foreign cameras became a major target for the Japanese camera industry, and the industry was strongly influenced by them as it competed in the international market and developed its technology.
This special exhibition will display “cameras that coloured the Showa era,” focusing on Japanese cameras manufactured during the Showa period, as well as foreign-made cameras, and is a project that delves into the history of the Showa era from the perspective of “cameras.”
“Showa 100th Anniversary Commemoration Showa Camera Story Part 2: 1955-1989” (tentative title) is scheduled to be held in February 2026.
Event Overview
- Exhibit Title : Japan Camera Museum Special Exhibition “100th Anniversary of Showa: The Story of Cameras in the Showa Era, Part 1: 1926-1954”
- Period : Tuesday, February 11, 2025 (national holiday) to Sunday, June 22, 2025. Open every day during Golden Week from Saturday, April 26 to Sunday, May 11.
- Exhibits : Cameras manufactured between 1926 and 1954 will be on display. Exhibits will focus on Japanese-made cameras, but will also include foreign-made cameras that influenced them, and will be presented by era.
- Approximately 200 items are expected to be on display.
- Permanent exhibits : Permanent exhibits include “Historical Japanese Cameras,” the world’s first commercially available camera, the “Giroud Daguerreotype Camera,” a “Leica Corner,” a “Toy Camera Corner,” and the camera of Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist Kyoichi Sawada.
- Infection control measures : Infection control measures such as hand disinfection are being implemented.
- Catalogue for sale : A catalog containing the materials on display will be produced and sold at the Japan Camera Museum reception desk. It will also be available for mail order.
- Opening hours : 10:00-17:00
- Closed : Mondays (open on public holidays and closed the following weekday), New Years and
Golden Week *During the exhibition period from February 11th (Tuesday, public holiday) to June 22nd, 2025, the museum will also be open during Golden Week from April 26th (Saturday) to May 11th (Sunday). - Admission fee : Adults 300 yen, Junior high school students and younger free, Group discount (10 or more) Adults 200 yen
