Ogawa Kazumasa was a pioneering Japanese photographer, printer, and publisher of the Meiji era. Born in Saitama, he trained in photography in Tokyo and Boston, mastering collotype printing and dry plate processes. In 1884, he opened Tokyo’s first photographic studio and later founded Japan’s first collotype business, revolutionizing print quality. Known for hand-colored floral prints, landscapes, and cultural scenes, Ogawa captured a modernizing Japan with works like Some Japanese Flowers (1896). A co-founder of the Japan Photographic Society, he also photographed National Treasures and geishas. His prints, blending tradition and innovation, remain prized in collections like the J. Paul Getty Museum. Ogawa died in 1929, leaving a lasting legacy in photographic art.