Japanese Literary Awards

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Ken Domon

どもん けん

Domon Ken

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1909-10-25 （Takacho, Sakata Town, Akumi District, Yamagata Prefecture (now Aioi-cho, Sakata City), Japan）
Died
1990-09-15 （Toranomon Hospital, Tokyo, Japan） age 80
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Sakata, Yamagata (now Sakata City), Japan → Tokyo, Japan (moved in 1916) → Yokohama, Kanagawa (Isogo-ku / Kanagawa-ku), Japan → Tsukiji Akashicho (workplace), Tokyo, Japan

Career

Occupations
Photographer, Writer, Painter
Active Years
1933-1990
Affiliations
Young Photojournalism Study Group, Japan Realism Photographers Group (advisor), Nippon Kobo (former employer)
Memberships
Young Photojournalism Study Group, Japan Realism Photographers Group
Influenced By
Kōtarō Miyauchi (mentor), Yonosuke Natori (mentor / early employer), Edward Steichen
Influenced
Chosuke Serizawa, Shomei Tomatsu (one of the photographers who submitted to Domon's monthly reviews), Atsushi Miki (disciple / associate), Naomichi Maki (assistant / brother), Takeshi Fujimori, Yoshimichi Ushio

Education

Old Kanagawa Prefectural Second Middle School (now Kanagawa Prefectural Yokohama Suiran High School)
Period: 〜1928
Year of Graduation: 1928
Country: Japan
Nihon University Specialty School, Department of Law (attended; dropped out)
Law
Period: 在学後中退
Country: Japan
Entered but left before graduation
Studio of Kōtarō Miyauchi (apprenticeship; photographic training)
Period: 1933（内弟子）
Year of Graduation: 1933
Country: Japan
Lived in as an apprentice and learned photographic basics

Awards

Ars Photo Culture Prize (1st)
1943
Organization: Ars (publisher)
Result: 受賞
Kikuchi Kan Prize (19th)
1971
Work: Pilgrimage to Ancient Temples (photo series)
Organization: Kikuchi Kan Prize Committee
Result: 受賞
Medal with Purple Ribbon
1972
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: 受章
Asahi Prize
1978
Work: 'Pilgrimage to Ancient Temples' and other works
Organization: The Asahi Shimbun Company
Result: 受賞
Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette
1980
Organization: Government of Japan
Result: 受章

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Visages

1953 Photobook

A photobook of portraits published in the early postwar period, showing Domon's human-centered realism and his approach to portraiture.

PortraitsExpressions of ordinary peoplePostwar society

Murō-ji

1954 Photobook

A photobook documenting Murō-ji temple's statues and architecture, an important precursor to the later Pilgrimage to Ancient Temples series.

TemplesBuddhist statuesAntiquities

Hiroshima

1958 Photobook / Documentary photography

A documentary photobook recording Hiroshima's devastation and aftermath, regarded as a key work of social realism.

WarRecord of affected areasSocial realism

Children of Chikuhō

1960 Photobook (reportage)

A reportage photobook on children in the Chikuhō coalfield region; notable for Domon's concern to make works available affordably.

ChildrenIndustry and daily lifeSocial conditions

Pilgrimage to Ancient Temples (multi-volume)

1963 Photobook (major multi-volume series)

A life work photographed with large-format cameras documenting temples and Buddhist sculptures; published across five main volumes.

TemplesBuddhist statuaryJapanese aesthetic / antiquities

Bibliography

  • Visages (Ars, 1953)
  • Murō-ji (Bijutsu Shuppansha, 1954)
  • Hiroshima (Kenkosha, 1958)
  • Children of Chikuhō (Patria Shoten, 1960)
  • Pilgrimage to Ancient Temples (Bijutsu Shuppansha, 1963-1975)

Adaptations

  • Animated/minna-no-uta video using Domon's photographs: 'Chigueso - Under the Earth's Sky'

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Social realism rooted documentary approachAustere monochrome renderingRelentless pursuit of an image with a strong authorial presence
Recurring Motifs
Temples and Buddhist statuesFaces of ordinary people, children and workersAntique ceramics and kottō (antiques)Documentation of affected areas (Hiroshima)

Health

  • Cerebral hemorrhage
    1960
    Suffered in 1960, recovered and thereafter began the large-format photography for the Pilgrimage to Ancient Temples series.
  • Cerebral hemorrhage (recurrent)
    1968
    Recurrent hemorrhage in 1968 left him with right-side paralysis; he rehabilitated by painting with his left hand while assistants undertook parts of the photography.
  • Cerebral thrombosis
    1979
    Suffered a cerebral thrombosis in 1979 and fell into a coma; his health thereafter declined.

Legacy

Domon Ken is recognized as one of Japan's leading postwar photographers, acclaimed for his social realism and monumental temple/antiquities photography. The Domon Ken Memorial Museum in Sakata preserves his works, and prizes and institutions bearing his name continue his legacy.

Museums

  • Domon Ken Memorial Museum Iimoriyama Park, Sakata, Yamagata, Japan Opened in 1983

Academic Societies

  • Japan Realism Photographers Group (served as advisor)

Archives

  • Collections of the Domon Ken Memorial Museum
  • Holdings at the National Diet Library (works and publications)

In Popular Culture

  • Photographs used in NHK 'Minna no Uta' and other audiovisual works
  • Minor planet (5187) Domon was named after him

Quotes

  • The camera is merely a tool; it is the human and their ideas who take the photograph.
    Source: Comments in monthly critiques (e.g., 'Camera' magazine reviews) (1953)
  • He advocated the 'absolute non-staging'—an absolute snap approach.
    Source: Writings and lectures (1950s) (1953)

Trivia

  • He was named the first honorary citizen of Sakata City.
  • Recipient of the Asahi Prize in 1978.
  • The 'Domon Ken Award' was established by the Mainichi Shimbun in 1981.
  • Minor planet (5187) Domon was named in his honor.