early life and career kusakabe kimbei, a renowned japanese photographer, was born in 1841. he adopted the given name kimbei for his clientele, comprising mostly non-japanese-speaking foreign residents and visitors, who found it easier to pronounce than his family name. kimbei's photographic journey began with his work alongside felice beato, a british photographer of italian descent, and baron raimund von stillfried, an austrian photographer. in 1881, kimbei established his own workshop in yokohama, japan, which later relocated to the honmachi quarter in 1889. photographic style and notable w…