Denichi Muramoto (1 December 1884— 1958), better known as Frank or Duke, was a Japanese-born photographer who owned and operated the De Luxe Studio in Pueblo, Colorado from 1915 until his death in 1958. Over his nearly five-decade-long career he produced a large collection of photographs, which included not only studio portraits, but also hundreds of candid snapshots of daily life for immigrant communities in Colorado. His photography is of special scholarly interest because of his status as an immigrant, which provided a rare perspective, and his readiness to bring expensive and cumbersome camera equipment to normal, everyday gatherings and events. He also distinguished himself by experimenting with home movies, including some of the earliest full-color films shot in Colorado.

Much of Frank Muramoto’s surviving catalogue resides with the Pueblo City-County Library District, the Pueblo County Historical Society, and History Colorado. 

Early Life

Frank Muramoto was born Muramoto Denichi on 1 December 1884 in Tsuno District, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan. At the time of his birth, Tsuno was a rural district in a relatively isolated but politically important region. Yamaguchi Prefecture was a center of modernization during the Meiji Period, during which Japan worked to enter the world stage as a regional power.

During this time period, many young men in East Asia emigrated to the United States seeking work. Many had the intention of saving up money and then returning to their home country after a few years. In 1903, at the age of nineteen, Muramoto left Japan to travel to the United States. He arrived on the ship the Nippon Maru, which arrived in the Port of San Francisco, California on May 7, 1903. 

Over the next several years, Muramoto worked a series of jobs across the country. He spent some time as a railroad worker in Wyoming and a farmhand in Colorado, then as a laborer in Texas, and as a household servant in the Midwest. 

Photography Career

In October 1911, Muramoto enrolled in the Illinois College of Photography in Effingham, Illinois. This school was somewhat popular with East Asian immigrant students, with two other Japanese and one Chinese student enrolled in the same 1911 class. By the time of his enrollment, he was using the name Frank Muramoto.

The College of Photography offered a nine-month crash course, and was considered cutting edge. Muramoto graduated in 1912, and relocated to Pueblo, Colorado, where he found work as an assistant at Williams Studio. Also working there was a fellow Japanese-born photographer named Tsume Manabe. Manabe left the studio to become a contractor, and was retained by Colorado Fuel & Iron for a few years. In 1915, Muramoto joined Manabe in opening a new photography studio in Pueblo, called the De Luxe Studio. However, within the year Manabe left De Luxe to pursue other work. Muramoto became the sole owner and proprietor of De Luxe Studio, which he operated from 1915 until his death in 1958.

The majority of Muramoto’s work as a professional photographer consisted of studio portraiture. In this work, he was notable for his willingness to accept clients of all backgrounds. At this time period many photography studios would deny services to members of various minority groups, such as Hispanos, Black Americans, and various immigration groups. In contrast, Muramoto took photos of anyone and everyone, and had connections with a wide variety of communities across Colorado.

In addition to portraiture, Muramoto also undertook industrial photography professionally, and in his personal life he took many photos of his family, nature scenes across Colorado, and community events.

Moving Pictures

While he never pursued filmmaking professionally, Muramoto experimented with moving picture cameras in his free time. By 1930 he owned more than one movie camera, with which he would mostly record his family at home or on trips. He is likely one of the earliest producers of home movies in Colorado history.

Muramoto also experimented with color film, which was prohibitively expensive at the time, especially for home use. Nevertheless, he recorded nature scenes, family moments, and even the 1933 Colorado State Fair in full color, which are possibly some of the earliest surviving color recordings depicting Colorado people and locations. However, they are all completely without sound.

Muramoto’s filming style was informed significantly by Western practices. Japanese silent films at the time were shown accompanied by a live narrator, and thus were made without title cards or intertitles. Muramoto’s home movies, however, have frequent intertitles handwritten in Japanese, making them possibly unique in world film history.

Personal Life

In 1915, Muramoto returned to Japan briefly to marry Muruyama Asako, and she became known as Asa Muramoto after her immigration to the United States. Together they had three children, Mary Chiyoko Muramoto (born 1917), James Masatoshi Muramoto (born 1920), and George Hideji Muramoto (born 1922). 

The Muramoto family lived in the Bessemer neighborhood in Pueblo’s southside, near the CF&I steel mill. Many Japanese-born immigrants lived in Bessemer in the early 20th century, as well as in the nearby Peppersauce Bottoms neighborhood.  All three Muramoto children graduated from Central High School. 

Frank Muramoto was a very personable, friendly, and outgoing individual who often invited large numbers of people over to his house. In contrast, Asa Muramoto was reserved, private, and spoke little English.

Muramoto and his family maintained connections with their extended family in Japan. Muramoto returned to Japan at least twice to visit, and both of his sons were sent to live in Japan with their grandparents for at least a year. 

During World War II, both James and George Muramoto served in the United States Armed Forces as translators. Both spent time in Japan as interpreters during the occupation. After returning from the war, both pursued careers as architects. 

Frank Muramoto died in 1958. His descendants, including his three children and eleven grandchildren, moved away from Pueblo, primarily to Denver and Chicago.