Painter and colorist in the photography workshop opened by Felice Beato in Yokohama, Kusakabe also worked as an assistant to Baron Raimund von Stillfried. From 1881 he opened his own photographic studio, contributing with his work to the prestige that the “Yokohama School” was acquiring among Western travelers. By merging the art of reportage and views, learned from Beato, with von Stillfried's psychological approach to portrait, Kusakabe became one of the most admired photographers of his time, creating a vast archive of photographs on Japan. His work as a photographer is characterized by the manual coloring of the images, always of the highest quality, characterized by an extensive range of chromatic tones and a considerable color density. Photography is part of the rich repertoire of studio portraits collected by Kusakabe since the beginning of his activity.