Japan, about 1868The Boshin War, literally ' the War of the Year of the Dragon ', was a Japanese civil war which began in January 1868 during the reign of emperor Meiji, several months after the return of supreme power to the emperor, and which continued until May 1869. It was composed of the armies of the Satsuma, Choshu, Tosa clans and their allies on the one hand, close to the Emperor and on the other, the troops belonging to the Edo shogunal government and the clans which remained faithful to him.

**The artist: Felice Beato**

A Venitian by birth he became a naturalized English subject, Felice Beato began photography beside James Robertson. Beato was one of the first war reporters : of note he is the first to have photographed real corpses, a revolution in the way of thinking and for the profession. The two partners covered many wars (Crimean, Indian). His collaboration with James Robertson came to an end and he went to China in 1860 (the first photographer) then to the Sudan in 1885. In 1863, Felice Beato opened his studio in Yokohama (Beato & Wirgman, Artists and Photographers) with the designer Charles Wirgman as partner. He was one of the first westerners to exert his talent in Japan. It was a transitional period when Japanese society was still very feudal for the large part, inspite of its opening to foreign ships in 1858. Felice Beato travelled a great deal in Japan and collected many photographs (he was amongst those who initiated ' Yokohama Shashin ' (tourist photographs)). In 1866, the Yokohama studio was largely destroyed after a fire. In less than two years, Felice Beato rebuilt his collection of glass prints. His photographs are centred on portraits, landscapes and urban views. In 1868 he published his first, two volume series of photographs entitled Views of Japan, a collection of Japanese landscapes, and Native Types, an album of portraits and scenes of everyday life. From 1872 Felice Beato moved away from photography to dedicate himself to a new activity as a financial speculator and negociator. The same year, a certain Kusakabe Kimbei, (Beato’s people) opened his own studio. In 1884 after 20 years in Japan, Beato went to Egypt and returned to his first photography practice : war photography. Felice Beato greatly influenced photographers who succeeded him in Japan, where his work has left its mark.