山本赞七郎个人肖像



名称: Mongolian Visitors to Beijing/来北京的蒙古人 
类别: Albumen photo/蛋白照片
日期: 1880
尺寸: 20x25cm



名称: Distant View of Dalian Port/远眺大连港
类别: Albumen photo/蛋白照片
日期: 1901
尺寸: 18x23cm

S. Yamamoto (1855-1943), born in Okayama, Japan, was a pioneering photographer who bridged Japanese and Chinese visual cultures. In 1882, he established his own studio in Shimbashi, Tokyo, during a period of intense competition in Japan’s photography industry. Recognizing the commercial potential in China, Yamamoto relocated to Beijing in 1897, where he founded the Yamamoto Photographic Studio on Xiagongfu Road, just outside Dong’anmen—today near the Beijing Gui Bin Lou Hotel. He was among the first Japanese photographers to open a studio in the Chinese capital, marking a significant step in the globalization of late 19th-century photography.

山本赞七郎/S.Yamamoto (1855-1943)，出生在日本冈山县，1882年起在东京的新桥开设照相馆。当时的日本照相业竞争已经十分激烈，他注意到中国蕴藏着巨大的商机，遂于1897年迁往北京，在北京东安门外霞公府路 (今天的北京贵宾楼饭店后) 开设了照相馆——山本写真馆， 他是最早在北京经营照相馆的日本人。 
Yamamoto was especially skilled in portraiture, known for his refined use of light and composition to capture the dignity and individuality of his sitters. Beyond portraits, his work also documented Beijing’s ancient architecture, street scenes, and cultural customs, offering a rare visual record of late Qing society. His photographs of members of the Qing imperial family are particularly valuable, providing authentic images of a fading dynasty at a critical historical moment.

Today, Yamamoto’s works are regarded as having high artistic and documentary value. They not only embody the technical mastery and aesthetic sensibility of early modern photography but also testify to cross-cultural interactions between Japan and China at the turn of the century. His surviving photographs are preserved in institutions such as the Tokyo National Museum, the Kyoto National Museum of Modern Art, and in Chinese historical archives, as well as in European and American museum collections. These holdings make his oeuvre an indispensable resource for scholars studying photography, East Asian history, and transnational cultural exchange. 

山本以拍摄人像见长，但他拍摄内容还涉及北京的古建筑、风土人情和当时的清朝王室。 当时，北京照相业的竞争虽不如东京、香港、上海激烈，但北京人更愿意到国人开的照相馆照相。既然拍摄肖像竞争不过本土照相馆，山本索性把重心放在拍摄北京的风景上。1899年，山本出版了第一本北京的画册，名为《北京名胜》，画册收录照片36张，其中不仅有前门、西四等繁华的商业街，还有碧云寺、卧佛寺等西山风景。他对中国文化的理解通过光影表现出来。身穿法衣的雍和宫喇嘛、巍峨的天宁寺塔、雄伟的长城……这些北京的人文景观受到西方人青睐。期间他拍摄的紫禁城、万寿山等皇家宫殿、园林影像，编辑出版了《清国北京皇城写真贴》和《北方风光》 等重要画册。他拍摄的照片不仅大卖，还被制成明信片飞往世界各地。

好景不长，1900年义和团运动爆发，八国联军攻入北京时，他曾同小川一真、柴田常吉、深谷驹吉等随军记录“庚子事变”实况。 他被义和团当成“二毛子”，他经营的北的照相馆业受到巨大冲击。战乱平息后，避难于使馆幸存下来的山本赞七郎很快重张开业，并第一时间拍摄了劫后的北京城。透过他在同一地点拍摄的照片，能看出战争对北京古城的伤害。他曾经拍摄过的前门大街，战后他又在同一地点、同一角度拍了一张照片。通过这两张照片，人们不难发现，虽然很多店铺已经重建，但另一些却永远地消失了。 此时，战争消灭了山本赞七郎的许多竞争对手。作为当时北京城仅有的外国照相馆，山本写真馆迎来了一个绝佳的商业机会。王宫贵族们争相请山本为他们拍摄肖像照。清人徐珂所撰的《清稗类钞》中曾有一段记载：“日人某精摄影，庆王为之介绍于孝钦后，令至颐和园为照一簪花小像，即在庆邸消莨园洗晒。已许以千金之赏矣，内廷传谕又支二万金。”这位“日人某”指的就是山本赞七郎，“孝钦”即慈禧太后，慈禧太后的御用摄影师裕勋龄本人的肖像照是山本拍摄。1910年前后他在天津开设分店。而今，山本赞七郎拍摄的老北京宫墙、城门、人家和生活场景多已不复存在，而他的老照片又重新为我们展现了那个年代的旧京风物。 >>返回>>