Accession Number: 2009.24.16.1320-1325
Description: BW prints; .1320 Three ranks of Japanese staff and students posed in front of the school entrance; a bust on a pedestal is set in the upper right behind the group; the school principal, Keijiro Kosakai is seated in the middle; a Caucasian woman beside him is Canadian missionary Jessie Miller; captioned "46th Graduating Class of the Gifu Blind School, Gifu, with the Principal and staff. March 1949. This year the School is celebrating its 55th anniversary of the founding of the school by Rev. Chappel and Mr. Kenji Mori"; .1321: Seen from the back, people pack the pews of a large room; crepe garlands drape down from the ceiling; a man in a dark suit, Keijiro Kosakai, addresses the crowd from the front beside a pedestal with a large bonsai tree; captioned "Celebration of Mr. Kosakai's 50 yrs connection with the Gifu School for the Blind, Gifu, Japan March 10, 1952"; .1322: Portrait of Keijiro Kosakai, a Japanese man with short black hair, brushy mustache, round eyeglasses, a dark suit, striped tie, and shirt with wingtip collar; captioned "K. Kosakai (72 years old)"; .1323: Portrait of Keijiro Kosakai, a Japanese man with short black hair, brushy mustache, round eyeglasses, a dark suit, striped tie, and shirt with wingtip collar; captioned "Mr. Keijiro Kosakai, Principal, Gifu Blind School, Gifu, Japan, connected with the School for 47 years as teacher and 35n years as principal"; .1324: Bust of Keijiro Kosakai; .1325: Four students sitting in front of a bookshelf under a sign reading "Helen Keller Library"; a boy and girl in front have open braille books in front of them; a boy in the middle holds a closed braille book; Keijiro Kosakai is in the right background; captioned "Akira Hishida, in center of picture, holding one of the books sent him from Perkins (Nov 1950) by J.M.S. See his letter of thanks send by Miss Jessie Miller missionary in Gifu (dated Dec 1, 1950). Miss Miller teaches blind children English + Eng braille. Gifu, Japan. November, 1950".
Medium: Photographic Paper
History/Provenance: The Gifu School for the Blind was founded by missionary A.F. Chappell in the aftermath of the 1891 Mino–Owari earthquake as a school and clubhouse. In 1894, it tightened its mission to scholol only, under Principal J.K. Mori. Helen Keller visited the school on her first visit to Japan in 1937.
Credit Line: AFB Migel Memorial Library Collection, 2009.24
Subjects: Braille Celebrations Graduation ceremonies Japan Schools for the blind and visually impaired
