Photographs by George Butler
George Butler M.D. was stationed with the US Army at Camp Matsushima in the Miyagi Prefecture of Japan from April 1951 to January 1952. During that time he took several thousand photographs of the villages, towns and countryside. Many were color photographs which were extremely rare at this time in Northern Japan. This website is a glimpse into Japan as it emerges from the post-war era. This area also was one of the most affected by the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake & Tsunami.
All photography © President and Fellows of Harvard College,
Peabody Museum of Archeology and Ethnology
The Photos
Photographs of the Miyagi region of northern Japan in the early 1950’s are relatively rare, given the economic conditions of the post-war era. Color photographs are extremely rare as color film and processing was not generally available in this region of Japan. This website hosts nearly 500 photographs taken by George Butler in the Sendai to Ishinomaki region of Miyagi prefecture. More than 1,200 original color slides and black & white prints, and negatives are now archived at the Peabody Museum at Harvard University. The photos are organized by region and we welcome comments and information that viewers may have about the photographs.
Sharing Miyagi 1951
A second book of photographs was released in Japan on November 26, 2021. There is an exhibit about the book at the MakiArt Terrace in Ishinomaki, Japan from November 27, 2021 to December 26, 2021. Thank you to Sanrikyu Kahoku Shinpo and the NPO Ishinomaki Archive for making this possible.