(PHOTOGRAPHY). (JAPANESE AMERICAN). TANIGAWA PHOTO STUDIO. Panoramic photo of the funeral of Kaichiro Shimo.

Japanese-American Community in Post-War Hawaii

(PHOTOGRAPHY). (JAPANESE AMERICAN). TANIGAWA PHOTO STUDIO. Panoramic photo of the funeral of Kaichiro Shimo. (Honolulu: 21 October 1949) (8 x 37 3/4") In very good or better condition, with a little light creasing, small tear on one edge (not affecting photo), and a couple tiny spots; verso with a little toning and thumbing. 

A substantial panoramic photograph testifying to the power of community and capturing a moment of collective mourning.

Funeral panoramas--wide, staged group photographs taken at memorial services--were a meaningful and relatively common practice in Japanese American communities, especially on the West Coast and in Hawaii. These images documented not just the deceased, but the entire social world surrounding them. These photographs functioned as a kind of collective memorial, providing a material keepsake for friends and family, recording relationships, and reinforcing collective identity.

The present panorama commemorates the passing of Kaichiro Shimo, with a large ceremony involving more than 100 members of the extended family and local community. A Buddhist priest stands behind the centrally placed coffin, flanked by multiple elegant floral arrangements. We have not been able to locate any obituaries or funeral announcements in newspapers of the period, but we believe that the location in this image was the Kukui Mortuary Chapel, located on Vineyard Boulevard on the edge of Honolulu's Chinatown.

The Tanigawa Photo Studio seems to have been a fixture in Honolulu's Japanese community. Located in the Pawaa district, an urban area that was predominantly populated by Japanese immigrant families, the firm specialized in indoor and outdoor portraiture, and was a particular favorite for weddings.

(Note: this item will be shipped rolled up due to its size.) (1115a)