Portion of the principal Temple Tycoons Cemetery Yedo

John Thomas Gulick (1832-1923), attributed
Date: 1862
Photographer: John Thomas Gulick (1832-1923), attributed
Medium: Albumen photographic print on card
Dimensions: 3 3/16 H x 3 9/16 W (photograph); 4 7/16 H x 5 3/8 W (card)
Inscription:
Inscribed in ink on card front: Portion of the principal Temple Tycoons/Cemetery Yedo
Credit: Albany Institute of History & Art Library
Digital Data Number: DI 469
Comments:

On October 14, 1862, the U.S. Minister to Japan Robert Hewson Pruyn (1815-1882) was granted permission to visit Edo Castle and the Tycoons Cemetery with a group of friends and photographers. The emperor and the shogun only let foreigners into Edo Castle on rare occasions, and this diplomatic access was unprecedented. This photograph is a one of a series of eight images made on that day that can be found in the collections of the Albany Institute. The Tycoon's Cemetery is no longer extant; it was among the causalities of World War II firebombing. For the first two years of his ministry, R.H. Pruyn's son Robert C. Pruyn lived with him in Edo and Yokohama and acted as diplomatic secretary. It is believed that R.C. Pruyn's time in Japan and familiarity with Japanese architecture influenced his creation of Santanoni. Built between 1892 and 1893, Santanoni is one of the earliest examples of an Adirondack great camp and its steep pitched roofs echo those of Japanese temples. This photograph of the principal temple in the Tycoon's Cemetery is an excellent example of that architectural style.