| title | Fujiwara Family collection |
| general material designation | [graphic, textual and artefactual material] |
| extent | 129 colour photographs, 2 black and white photographs, 8 glass plate negatives, 6 negatives, .8 cm of text and 5 objects |
| date | 1900-1991 |
| scope and content | The collection consists of two series belonging to the Fujiwara family. The first series belongs to the patriarch of the family, Shuzo Fujiwara and mainly consists of items and photographs acquired during his time as a professional photographer. The second series belongs to both Shuzo's son Yoshiyuki Fujiwara and Yoshiyuki's wife Mariko Fujiwara (nee Ohara) and is mainly comprised of a photograph album commemorating the 1991 Lemon Creek Reunion as well as a pattern drawing book. |
| biography | Shuzo Fujiwara was born in Koura mura, Kashima gun, Okayama ken in Japan. He travelled to Nagasaki to study photographic techniques from a master of portrait photography, Uyeno Hikoma (1838-1904). The studio of Hikoma and Simooka Renjo was amongst the first to open in Japan and known to have trained a large number of new photographers.
Shuzo arrived in Vancouver in May 1902, already prepared to engage in the business of studio photography. He worked in the fishing industry to save the money to open his own studio. During that time, he travelled to Los Angeles and San Francisco to work in the Smith and Crown Photo studios. Back in Vancouver, he worked with Yataro Arikado before opening his own studio in 1909 at 245 Powell Street. Fujiwara Studio had several employees and a caucasian woman technician.
As with Okamura from New Westminster, an early photographer, Fujiwara may also be known for his exceptional studio photography technique and may have influenced the quality and style of the development of early Japanese Canadian studio photography. He was commissioned by community groups and associations both local and out of town. Some of his famous photographs are: Championship of International League: Asahi Baseball team 1919; Sports Day at Woodfibre, 1936; Tofino Public School Class, 1938; Jusuke Ishikawa's Logging Camp, 1915.
Mr. Fujiwara participated in local social activities including the Okayama kenjinkai (prefectural association) and the Yamato Shashin Kai (Yamato Photography Club). The Tairiku Nippo (Japanese newspaper) reported that the club held an exhibition on October 15, 1915 and invited Mr Okamura of New Westminster, a prominent professional photographer, to act as juror. The club also held an exhibition in Tokyo in 1916. |
| number | 2011.3 |
| organisation | Nikkei National Museum |
| access | Open |