Shimura Kako Company student protest photograph album

Collection — Box: 1

Identifier: MS-0917

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

The spiral-bound photograph album contains thirty manila pages and fifty-three black and white photographs mounted in pairs. The Japanese title, "学生乱入事件現場写真" which translates to "the scene of the student intrusion incident photo album," appears on a paper label affixed to the cover, along with the date and time. Photographs of student protesters in hard hats and white scarves, factory workers, and police are taken at close range and in the midst of confrontation with company employees and police. Captions are handwritten in Japanese, and appear to have been written from the perspective of a company employee. On some photographs, red arrows and labels identify figures or provide additional commentary. One photograph is lost, but its detailed caption remains. Attached to the inside back cover is a printed envelope with the name, address, and phone number of the Shimura Kako Company.

Dates

Creation: 1969-11-13

Creator

Shimura Kako Company (Tokyo, Japan) (Organization)

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is housed off-site and requires 48-hours' notice for retrieval. Contact Special Collections for more information.

Conditions Governing Use

Single copies may be made for research purposes. Researchers are responsible for determining any copyright questions. It is not necessary to seek our permission as the owner of the physical work to publish or otherwise use public domain materials that we have made available for use, unless Johns Hopkins University holds the copyright.

Biographical / Historical

The photograph album appears to have been compiled by the company under protest, the Shimura Kako Company, or Shimura Chemical Corporation, a nickel factory in Tokyo, Japan in 1969. Described as a "student trespassing incident," the demonstration against air pollution and toxic waste from the mining and smelting of ores occurred at the height of the student protest movement and during the rise of the environmental movement in Japan and much of the world in the late 1960s.

Extent

0.14 Cubic Feet (1 flat box (14.5 x 11.5 x 1.5 inches))

Language of Materials

Japanese

Additional Description

Abstract

The photograph album contains thirty manila pages and fifty-three black and white photographs mounted in pairs. Photographs of student protesters in hard hats and white scarves, factory workers, and police are taken at close range and in the midst of confrontation. The album appears to have been compiled by the company under protest, the Shimura Kako Company, a nickel factory in Tokyo, Japan in 1969.