Kusakabe Kimbei was a Japanese photographer during the Meiji period, when the country opened itself to western influences after centuries of isolation. He worked with western photographers before opening his own workshop in 1881 in Yokohama, one of the first port cities to open to foreigners. Many of his photographs were of Japanese women and geishas whom he hired to pose. Because Kimbei’s works were popular with tourists, they helped shape the western perception of Japanese culture at the time. His studio was one of the most successful in Yokohama before he retired from photography at 73.