Ihei Kimura
photographer
Ihei Kimura (1901–1974) was a prominent Japanese photographer renowned for his humanist approach to street and documentary photography. He began his career in the 1920s, opening a studio in Nippori, Tokyo, before becoming a central figure in the development of 'New Photography' (Shinkō shashin) in Japan during the 1930s. Kimura was known for his mastery of the Leica camera and his ability to capture candid moments of everyday life, from the bustling streets of Tokyo to rural villages in Akita Prefecture. During World War II, he worked as a photographer for various publishers, including Tōhō-sha. In 1950, he was elected chairman of the Japan Professional Photographers Society (JPS). His work has been exhibited internationally, notably at the Rencontres d'Arles in 2004 and included in Edward Steichen's 'The Family of Man' exhibition at MoMA in 1955. He is remembered as a visual storyteller who shaped Japan's photographic identity.[1,2]
- street photography
- documentary realism
- rural life
- humanism
Books
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Select Pictures by Ihei Kimura€173.00
Works by Ihei Kimura
- 1954 Select Pictures by Ihei Kimura A book of generous format (30×21 cm) that presents 132 photographs representing all facets of Kimura's work.
- 1938 Japan through a Leica One hundred photographs of Japan.
- 1956 Impression of Europe Kimura Ihee gaiyū shashinshū: Dai nikai.
- 1958 At a Shipyard Zōsenjo no inshō.
- 1990 The Shōwa period of Ihei Kimura Tanuma Takeyoshi, ed.
Exhibitions
- 2004 Ihei Kimura: The Man with the Camera
- 1994 Ihei Kimura and Akita
Awards
- Kimura Ihei Award