Aperture Masters of Photography: Eikoh Hosoe

by Eikoh Hosoe

Eikoh Hosoe is an integral part of the history of modern Japanese photography. He remains a driving force in photography, not only for his own work, but also as a teacher and as an ambassadorial figure, fostering artistic exchange between Japan and the outside world. His influence has been felt not only in his native country, but throughout the international photographic community. Baroque, theatrical, and rich with metaphor, Eikoh Hosoe's photographs evoke the dark, post-nuclear folklore of the Japanese imagination that is peopled by characters both real and fictitious. His collaborations with novelist and provocateur Yukio Mishima and with founder of the Butoh dance movement Tatsumi Hijikata resulted in extended essays created out of a unique hybrid of performance, biography, and the still image. This volume presents a selection of the finest of Hosoe's photographs, including a thumbnail reproduction of one of his seminal essays, "Kamaitachi," in its entirety. An essay by Mark Holborn, photo-historian and author, presents an introduction to Hosoe's lifework.

Genres: Photography, Japan, Art

95 pages, Paperback

First published May 31, 1999

About the author

Eikoh Hosoe was a Japanese photographer and filmmaker who emerged in the experimental arts movement of post-World War II Japan. Hosoe was best known for his dark, high contrast, black and white photographs of human bodies. His images were often psychologically charged, exploring subjects such as death, erotic obsession, and irrationality. Some of his photographs referenced religion, philosophy and mythology, while others were nearly abstract, such as Man and Woman # 24, from 1960. He was professionally and personally affiliated with the writer Yukio Mishima and experimental artists of the 1960s such as the dancer Tatsumi Hijikata, though his work extended to a diversity of subjects. His photography was not only notable for its artistic influence but for its wider contribution to the reputations of his subjects.

Reviews

[Kevin S]

4.5

[Robert Patterson]

Incredible collaboration between Hosoe and Mishima. Everything central to Mishima is covered in these photographs: sensuality, masculinity, death and rebirth, purpose, the shadow, homosexuality, romance, despair, purpose, action. Incredible.

I recommend those who can't access this book to see a youtube video of "Scroll" version @
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Al7BQ...