Japanese Literary Awards

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Ihei Kimura

きむら いへい

Kimura Ihei

Profile

Gender
Male
Born
1901-12-12 （Shitaya, Tokyo City, Tokyo Prefecture (now Taito, Tokyo), Japan）
Died
1974-05-31 （Nippori, Tokyo, Japan） age 72
Nationality
Japan
Languages
Japanese
Residence History
Tainan, Taiwan → Nippori, Tokyo, Japan

Career

Occupations
Photographer, Photojournalist
Active Years
1920-1974
Affiliations
Japan Professional Photographers Society (first president), Japan–China Cultural Exchange Association (permanent director), Japan Realism Photography Group (advisor)
Memberships
Japan Professional Photographers Society, Chuo Kobo (Central Workshop), Nippon Kobo (Japan Workshop)
Influenced By
Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Doisneau
Influenced
Takenobu Tanuma, Many emerging Japanese photographers

Education

Kyoka Junior and Senior High School
Country: Japan

Awards

Kikuchi Kan Prize
Organization: Bungei Shunjū
Result: 受賞

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

1943 Photobook

Photobook published during wartime; includes images presented in the context of external propaganda and wartime reportage.

Wartime reportageState-centered imageryPortraits

Selected Masterpieces of Ihei Kimura

1954 Photobook

A collection of representative works, including the Akita series, urban snapshots, and portraits.

SnapshotsUrban lifeObservation of people

Akita

1978 Photobook (posthumous)

A posthumous photobook compiling ethnographic and portrait photographs taken in Akita Prefecture; includes many notable images.

FolkloreRural lifePortraits

Ihei Kimura: Paris

1974 Photobook

A collection centered on snapshots of Paris taken in the 1950s, documenting his work abroad.

Overseas photographyUrban snapshotsFragments of daily life

Bibliography

  • Kimura Ihei: Paris (Nora-sha, 1974)
  • Selected Masterpieces of Ihei Kimura (1954)
  • Me and My Leica: Selected Works and Essays by Ihei Kimura (Asahi Shimbun, 2003; Asahi Bunko, 2019)
  • Ihei Kimura: Photographing the Showa Era (ed. Takenobu Tanuma, Chikuma Bunko, 1995)
  • Ihei Kimura's Showa (Chikuma Shobo, 1990)
  • Ihei Kimura: Akita (Asahi Shimbun Publications, 2011)
  • Ihei Kimura Photographic Works: Showa Era (Chikuma Shobo, complete 4 volumes, 1984)
  • Definitive Edition: Ihei Kimura (Asahi Shimbun, 2002)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Natural, unstaged snapshotsSoft portraits using shallow depth of fieldMobile shooting approach centered on Leica cameras
Recurring Motifs
Scenes and life of Tokyo's downtownNatural gestures and expressions of peoplePortraits of womenFragments of urban everyday life

Legacy

A master of Leica-based snapshots and portraits who left a major mark on Japanese photographic history. He served as the first president of the Japan Professional Photographers Society and was active internationally from the 1950s. The Ihei Kimura Award was established in 1975 as a gateway for emerging photographers. His works are held in museums and libraries both in Japan and abroad.

Museums

  • Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York New York, USA

Academic Societies

  • Japan Professional Photographers Society
  • Japan–China Cultural Exchange Association

Archives

  • Collections at the National Diet Library (Japan)
  • Chikuma Shobo archival holdings (complete photographic works, etc.)

In Popular Culture

  • The photograph 'Akita Obako' has been used in Akita Prefecture image-boosting advertisements

Quotes

  • “It is important to never let the camera leave your hands.”
    Source: Anecdotes / interviews (source unspecified)

Trivia

  • He was a devoted Leica user and was sometimes nicknamed “the god of Leica.”
  • Served as the first president of the Japan Professional Photographers Society in 1950.
  • The Ihei Kimura Award was established by Asahi Shimbun in 1975 (posthumous).
  • Widely regarded as a master of portrait photography, especially of women.