Cave of Yenoshima – CARLI Digital Collections Featured Image


From The Grace Ward 19th Century Photograph Collection (Knox College) in CARLI Digital Collections.

Enoshima Island lies off the coast of Japan's largest island (Honshu), just south of Tokyo and Yokohama. The island is a popular tourist destination thanks to it's sandy beaches, but was once a sanctuary for Benzaiten, the Buddhist goddess of music. This photo of the island at the turn of the 19th century comes from Knox College's Grace Ward Photograph Collection.

Grace Ward was a student at Knox College, and graduated in 1865. She then served overseas as a missionary in India from 1870 to 1898. She visited Japan during her travels, and this photo was likely a postcard or souvenir. It's a beautiful image, with detail in the cave walls, and some color added. The island became a tourist attraction after it was sold by the Meiji government in 1880 to a British Merchant.

Written by Sarah Prindle, Humanities & Fine Arts Librarian, Southern Illinois University Carbondale

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