List of winners and nominees for the Domon Ken Award
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Domon Ken Award
Organizer: Mainichi Newspapers Target: Works released between January and December of each year, regardless of whether they are professional or amateur.
Gift: Main prize: Bronze statue of Tadayoshi Sato, Second prize: 500,000 yen prize, Certificate of commendation announced: Published in the Mainichi Shimbun every March
Exhibition/preservation: Exhibition at Nikon Plaza (Tokyo/Osaka) and the Ken Domon Memorial Museum (Sakata City, Yamagata Prefecture)
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1st (1982)
Mitsuru Masao
"The Frontline of Hunger in Kenya" (published in the Mainichi Shimbun)
"Acoro" and "Children Who Crossed Borders" (both published by Shueisha)
[Biography]
He is an active reporter who interviews people living on the borders of the Third World. His representative works include "The People of the Borderlands: Several Modern Ethnic Groups in Asia" (Ka to Shokobundo), "Landmines: 110 Million Devils" (Kusanone Publishing), and "Starvation" (Kobunsha). He was born in 1938.
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2nd (1983)
Masatoshi Naito
"Dewa Sanzan and Shugendo" (Kose Publishing)
[Biography]
He has been photographing people and landscapes that exist between this world and the other in a land where folk beliefs are deeply rooted for many years. His representative works include the photo collection "Tokyo: Visions of the Darkness of the City" (Meishu Publishing) and the book "Japanese Mummy Belief" (Hozokan). Born in 1938.
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3rd (1984)
Kazuyoshi Nomachi
"Bahar" (Shueisha)
[Biography]
He took a broad-scale view of people living in harsh natural environments such as the Sahara, Ethiopia, and the Middle East. His representative works include "Nile" (Jyoho Center Publishing Bureau), "20 Years in the Sahara" (Kodansha), and "Pilgrimage to Mecca" (Shueisha). Born in 1946.
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4th (1985)
Tsuneo Enari
"Xiaohai's Manchuria" (Shueisha)
"One Hundred Portraits" (Mainichi Graph)
[Biography]
He was praised for his powerful documents and tenacious photographic work. His representative works include "The Bride's America" (Kodansha), "The Phantom Country of Manchuria" and "Scenes of Memory: Ten Hiroshimas" (both published by Shinchosha). Born in 1936.
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5th (1986)
Taku Shinsho
"Distant Homeland" (Asahi Shimbun) Photo book and photo exhibition
[Biography]
He carefully captured portraits of first generation Japanese immigrants to South America and Japanese immigrants with a large-format camera. His representative works include "Silent Land - Siberia" (Chikuma Shobo) and "The Promised Land America" (Misuzu Shobo). Born in 1936.
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6th (1987)
Hiroshi Kan
"Bali: The Super Fantasy World" (Obunsha)
[Biography]
He actively photographed the ethnic groups of Asia. His photographs are also of great ethnological value, covering their lifestyles and climates. His representative works include "Makai, Tenkai, Mysterious World, Bali," "Dai Nikko" (both published by Kodansha), and "Myanmar Gold" (published by Toho Publishing). He was born in 1945. He passed away in 2013.
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7th (1988)
Meng Nishikawa
"People, Things, and Hearts" (Tenrikyo Doyusha)
[Biography]
He was recognized for his sincere and passionate approach to photography and his perfect expressive techniques. His representative works include "Katsura Rikyu" (Kodansha International), "Kadoya" (Chuokoron-Shinsha), and "Jukkyo" (Shufunotomo-sha). Born in 1925, he passed away in 2012.
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8th (1989)
Ichiro Tsuda
"Unknown Area: The Narrow Road to the Deep North" (Nikkor Club)
[Biography]
He was praised for his modern interpretation of the film "Oku no Hosomichi." His representative works include the solo exhibitions "Mumyo-chi - The Land of Tradition" (Nikon Salon) and "Kokuu Junrei - Heike Monogatari" (Shimonoseki Akamaga Shrine). Born in 1942.
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9th (1990)
Miyazaki Manabu
"Owl" (Heibonsha)
[Biography]
He has pioneered a new field of animal photography by using innovative methods that make full use of high technology, focusing on the relationship between nature and humans.
His representative works include "Kemonomichi" (Kyoritsu Shuppan), "Shi" (Heibonsha), and "Animal Apocalypse" (Kodansha). Born in 1949.
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10th (1991)
"Golden Wind-Heaven Man" by Yoshinobu Jumonji (Shogakukan)
[Biography]
The energy and focus shown in the pursuit of Japan's golden beauty was highly praised.
His representative works include "Orchid Boat" (Fuyukisha), "The Work and Surroundings of Jumonji Bishin" (Rokuyosha), and "I Want to Be a Sensitive Monster" (Kyuryudo). Born in 1947.
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11th (1992)
Hirokazu Imaeda
"Russian Roulette" (Shinchosha)
[Biography]
He continued to pursue and record the vivid reality of the collapse of the Soviet Union with his own unique perspective and passion.
Representative works include "Tiananmen: Photography Diary" (Hanashi no Tokushu) and "Mura no Kakushi Kekkon" (Niigata Nippo). Born in 1963.
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12th (1993)
Hiromi Nagakura
"Masood: Afghanistan, My Beloved Land" (JICC Publishing Bureau)
[Biography]
He has been active at the forefront of photojournalism, including spending nine years reporting alongside Afghan guerrillas.
His representative works include "I Love Humans: Messages from the Amazon Indigenous People" (Fukuinkan Shoten) and "The Eyes of a Photo Journalist" (Iwanami Shoten). Born in 1952.
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13th (1994)
Minami Yoshikazu
"Thirty Years in Chichibu" (Heibonsha)
[Biography]
He continued to observe his subjects tenaciously in the field, where he lived every day, and record the changes in life and agriculture in Chichibu.
His representative works include "Aru Yamamura・Nanjin" (Shinsensha) and "Koetsu Kogen" (Nihon Keizai Hyoronsha). Born in 1935.
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14th (1995)
Kiyoshi Suzuki
"The Realm of Shura" (self-published)
[Biography]
He was praised for his originality, including his autobiographical works that offer a glimpse into a cross-section of modern Japanese history, and his commitment to self-publishing. His representative works include "Song of the Flow" and "Tent Town" (both self-published). He was born in 1943 and died in 2000.
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15th (1996)
Katsumi Sunamori
"Floating Island, Still Water" (Cleo)
[Biography]
Through a journey tracing his own roots, he portrayed the true nature of Okinawa, which was changed by war and the US military. His representative works include "Kama Tida Osaka Nishinari" (IPC) and "Okinawa Kibun" (Futabasha). Born in 1951, he passed away in 2009.
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16th (1997)
Kazumasa Suda
"Human Memory" (Cleo)
[Biography]
By photographing ordinary everyday scenes through a unique filter, he brings to light one aspect of modern Japan.
His representative works include "Fushikaden" (Asahi Sonorama) and "Akai Hana" (Wise Publishing). Born in 1940.
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17th (1998)
Seiichi Motohashi
"Nadia's Village" photo exhibition, film
[Biography]
A record of the land of life that follows six families who continue to live in areas contaminated by the Chernobyl disaster.
His representative works include "Yama" (Coal Mine), "Ueno Station no Maku-en" (both published by Gendaishokan), and "Baobab no Kioku" (Memories of the Baobab) (published by Heibonsha). He was born in 1940.
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18th (1999)
Takeshi Mizukoshi
"Forest Archipelago" (Iwanami Shoten)
[Biography]
The project documents the rich forests of the Japanese archipelago not simply from a nature conservation perspective, but also from an academic one.
His representative works include "Hotaka: Light and Wind" (Graphic-sha Publishing), "Japan's Primeval Forests" (Iwanami Shoten), and "HIMALAYA" (Kodansha). Born in 1938.
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19th (2000)
Osamu Kanemura
"BLACK PARACHUTE EARS, 1991-1999" and a series of photographic activities
[Biography]
The award recognizes his nine-year photography project, which he has undertaken using his own unique methodology, including a photo exhibition that expresses what could be called the "Kanmura space."
Representative works include the solo exhibition "Crashlanding in Tokyo's Dream." Born in 1964.
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20th (2001)
Yoshino Oishi
"Vietnam Dignity" (Kodansha)
[Biography]
It continues to record the aftermath of people who have experienced war or civil unrest.
Representative works include "HIROSHIMA: A Portrait of a Half Century" (Kadokawa Shoten) and "Afghanistan: Surviving the War" (Fujiwara Shoten). Born in 1943.
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21st (2002)
Toshiya Momose
"Tokyo = Shanghai" (The Nishinippon Shimbun)
[Biography]
He photographs urban landscapes around the world with the theme of "empty cityscapes."
His photo books include "Concerto Istanbul - Buenos Aires" and "India View" (both published by Madosha). Born in 1968.
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22nd (2003)
Ryuichi Hirokawa
"Photographic Record of Palestine" (Japan Library Center)
[Biography]
He has been active at the forefront of photojournalism, covering places such as Palestine and Chernobyl.
Publisher and editor-in-chief of "DAYS JAPAN". Representative works include "Chernobyl: 458 Villages that Disappeared" (Japan Library Center). Born in 1943.
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23rd (2004)
Hiroo Kikai
"PERSONA" (Soshisha)
[Biography]
Over the years, he has taken photographs in India, Asakusa, and various parts of Tokyo.
His representative works include "Portraits of the Kings" (Yatate Publishing) and "INDIA" (Misuzu Shobo). His latest publication is "Anatolia" (Clevis). Born in 1945.
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24th (2005)
Eiichiro Sakata
"PIERCING THE SKY - Shooting the Sky" (Tokyo Photographic Art Museum, Kyuryudo)
[Biography]
He is widely known as an advertising and portrait photographer.
His representative works include "Chūmon no Ooi Shashinkan" (Ryuko Tsushinsha), "JUST WAIT" (Kyuryudo), and "LOVE CALL - Portraits of the Times -" (Asahi Shimbun Publications). Born in 1941.
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25th (2006)
Hideaki Uchiyama
"JAPAN UNDERGROUND3" (Aspect)
"Tokyo Demon" (Aspect)
[Biography]
He continues to photograph both urban wonderlands and Japan's underground facilities in parallel.
His representative works include "The City Floats" (Kodansha) and "Someday at a Clear Sea: AIDS and the Journey of Yutaka Hirata" (Yomiuri Shimbun). Born in 1949. Died in 2014.
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26th (2007)
Yukio Nakamura
"27,000 Hours of Journey Under the Sea" (Tokyo Photographic Art Museum, Kodansha)
[Biography]
A leading underwater photographer, he continues to convey the beauty of the ocean and environmental issues through a variety of media.
His representative works include "Undersea Facial Exhibition" and "All Tokyo Bay" (both published by Information Center Publishing Bureau). Born in 1945.
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27th (2008)
Hiromi Tsuchida
"Hiromi Tsuchida's Japan" (Tokyo Photographic Art Museum)
[Biography]
Through its documentary quality and unique expressiveness, he has brought to light issues facing Japan as a country.
His representative works include "Zokushin" (Otto's Books), "Suna o Counting" (Toseisha), and "Hiroshima" (Kose Publishing). Born in 1939.
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28th (2009)
Mitsuhiko Imamori
"Insects: A 400 Million Year Journey" (Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, photo book of the same name published by Shinchosha)
[Biography]
The relationship between people and nature around Lake Biwa, photographed in remote areas around the world, from tropical rainforests to deserts.
His representative works include "Scarab" (Heibonsha), "World Insect Chronicles" (Fukuinkan Shoten), and "Satoyama Monogatari" (Shinchosha). Born in 1954.
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29th (2010)
Ryuichiro Suzuki
"Lulysses: Ryuichiro Suzuki Photo Collection" (published by Heibonsha)
[Biography]
Outstanding technique and profound photographic expression that brings out the subject itself through sincere engagement.
His representative works include "Holy India Voyage" (winner of the Taiyo Prize), "The Odyssey" and "Druk" (both published by Heibonsha). Born in 1942.
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30th (2011)
Naoki Ishikawa
"CORONA" (Seidosha)
Born in 1977.
With his vigorous energy, he traveled to polar regions, high mountains, and oceans, recording nature and the lives of the people who live there.
He explores a new way of thinking about the world through the dynamics of life and the wisdom left behind by our ancestors. His publications include "NEW DIMENSION" (Akaaka Art Publishing), "POLAR" (Little More), and "ARCHIPELAGO" (Shueisha).
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31st (2012)
Yutaka Takanashi
"IN'" (Shinjuku Shobo)
[Biography]
Born in 1935.
Since the 1960s, he has captured cities using a variety of methodologies. He has been highly praised for his ability to blend deeply into his subjects and for his keen sensitivity to capture the city from the mundane everyday through fleeting scenes.
His publications include To the City (Izara Shobo), Tokyoites 1978-1983 (Shoshi Yamada, 1983), First Country pre-landscape (Heibonsha), Nostalgia (Heibonsha), and the exhibition "Takanashi Yutaka: Hikari's Field Notes" at the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo.
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32nd (2013)
Ryo Kameyama
"AFRIKA WAR JOURNAL" (Little More)
[Biography]
Born in Chiba Prefecture in 1976.
He began photographing conflict zones in Latin America in 1996. In the fall of 2000, while covering the Second Intifada in Palestine, he lost his left eye after being hit by a rubber bullet fired by an Israeli soldier. Since 2003, he has photographed conflict zones across Africa. In conflict zones where massacres and plundering have become commonplace, he has closely followed the suffering and cries of the people at the bottom of society, shedding light on the lives that continue to be buried there. His work has been highly praised for its new direction in photo documentary photography.
His photo books include "Palestine: Intifada," "Re;WAR," "Documentary Photos" (self-published), and "Africa's Forgotten Wars" (Iwanami Shoten).
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33rd (2014)
Fuminari Kuwahara
"Shiranui Sea The Minamata Disease Disaster" (Nikon Salon)
"Minamata Incident" (Fujiwara Shoten)
[Biography]
After graduating from Tokyo University of Agriculture and Tokyo College of Photography, he began working as a freelance photojournalist. He began photographing Minamata in 1960, before the government and Chisso had acknowledged that factory wastewater was the cause of Minamata disease. He covered Korea for a quarter of a century from 1964, and photographed Vietnam from 1967 and Russia after the collapse of the Soviet Union from 1991. In 1997, the Kuwabara Fuminari Photography Museum opened in his hometown. He received the Japan Photo Critics Association Newcomer's Award in 1962, the Photographic Society of Japan Annual Award in 1971, the Ina Nobuo Award in 1982, the Dongko Photography Award (Korea) in 2003, and the Sagamihara Photography Award in 2006. His publications include "Photojournalist" (Iwanami Shoten) and "Complete Works of Kuwabara Fuminari Photography" (Minamata, Korea, Chikuho/Okinawa, Vietnam, 4 volumes, Kusanone Publishing). He was born in Shimane Prefecture in 1936.
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34th (2015)
Nobuo Shimose
"Barrier" (Heibonsha)
[Biography]
Born in 1944 in former Manchuria (now northeastern China).
Graduated from Tokyo College of Photography in 1967. While running a photo studio in Hagi, Yamaguchi Prefecture, he continues to work as an artist, focusing on the local climate and lifestyle. In 1980 he received the Sugi Michisuke Memorial Hagi City Arts and Culture Encouragement Award, in 1990 the Photographic Society of Japan Newcomer Award, in 1998 the Yamaguchi Prefecture Cultural Merit Award, and in 2005 the Ina Nobuo Award. His photo books and books include "Hagi/HAGI" (Kyuryudo) and "Days of Hagi" (Kodansha). His photo exhibitions include "Hagi" in 1977, "When the Calm" in 1987, "Days in the Wind" in 1989, "Barrier" in 1996, and "Pointing at the Moon" in 2013.
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35th (2016)
Michio Yamauchi
"DHAKA2" (Zen Foto Gallery)
[Biography]
Born in Aichi Prefecture in 1950. Graduated from Waseda University. In 1982, he joined the independent gallery CAMP and began exhibiting his photographs. He studied under photographer Daido Moriyama. He has taken photographs not only in Tokyo but also in Asian cities such as Shanghai, Hong Kong, Calcutta, and Dhaka. His photo books include "City" and "People" (1992), "Shanghai" (1995), "HONG KONG" (1997), "Calcutta" (2003), "HOLIDAY" (2005), "Tokyo 2005-2007" (2008), and "Keelung" (2010). In 1997, he won the 22nd Ina Nobuo Award. In 2011, he won the 20th Hayashi Tadahiko Award for "Keelung". His works are held in the collections of the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum, Shunan City Museum of Art and History (Yamaguchi Prefecture), Nikon Corporation, and others.
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36th (2017)
Yang Seung-woo
"Lost in Shinjuku" (Zen Foto Gallery)
[Biography]
Born in Korea in 1966. Came to Japan in 1996. Graduated from the Japan Photography Institute in 2000. Graduated from the Department of Photography, Faculty of Art, Tokyo Polytechnic University in 2004. Completed the Graduate School of Art and Design at the same university in 2006. Received the Ueno Hikoma Award (Japan Society of Art and Design Encouragement Award) in 2001 and 2005. Photobooks include "You're Over There, I'm Over Here 2" (2011), "The Best Days of Youth" (2012), and more.
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37th (2018)
Tokuko Ushiota
"Book Scenery BIBLIOTHECA" (Published by Ushima Oda, released by Genki Shobo)
[Biography]
Born in Tokyo in 1940. Graduated from Kuwasawa Design School in 1963. At the same school, she took classes from photographer Seiji Otsuji and set out on the path to becoming a photographer. Lectured at Kuwasawa Design School and Tokyo Zokei University from 1966 to 1978. Became a freelancer in 1978. Her main photo books include "Chinese People" (privately published), "Refrigerator ICE BOX" (BeeBooks), and "HATS" (Parolsha). Her "BIBLIOTHECA" series includes "Misuzu Shobo Former Office Building" (2016), "Sensei no Atelier" and "Hon no Keshiki" (all three published by Genki Shobo in 2017). Her husband is photographer and writer Shimao Shinzo, and her eldest daughter is manga artist and essayist Shimao Maho.
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38th (2019)
Satoshi Takahashi
"RESISTANCE Cambodia: The Unyielding Desires of the People" (Akita Sakigake Shimbun)
[Brief biography]
Takahashi Satoshi was born in Akita Prefecture in 1981. He graduated from Nihon University College of Art, Department of Photography. Since 2003, he has been covering Cambodia, Afghanistan after the civil war, the Sumatra earthquake, and other issues. He has lived in Phnom Penh since 2007. He mainly focuses on human rights issues in the country, and has published press photos in media such as the Cambodia Daily, the Guardian, and CNBC. His photo books include "Life on the Lake: The People of Tonle Sap, Cambodia" (2013, Madosha), "The Real Cambodia" (2014, Akita Sakigake Shimposha), and "RESISTANCE Cambodia: The Unyielding Desires of the People" (2018, same publisher). He has held numerous photo exhibitions. He won the Ueno Hikoma Prize in 2006 and 2011, the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) Japan Prize Grand Prize in 2013 and 2014, the Natori Yonosuke Photography Award in 2014, and the Miki Jun Prize Encouragement Award in 2016.
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39th (2020)
Takumi Fujimoto
"Silent Space: Japanese Fishermen who Moved to Korea and Director Zenkichi Hanai" (Kobo Sodosha)
[Brief biography]
Takumi Fujimoto was born in Shimane Prefecture in 1949. He learned photography by himself. He has been photographing the Korean landscape and people since he was 20 years old. His main photo books include "A Windy Journey in Korea" (1987, Chikumashobo), "Records of Wind and People in Korea" (2006, Film Art Publishing), and "Korea in My Heart" (2016, published in Korea). His photo exhibitions have been held at Ginza Nikon Salon, Italy, and the National Folk Museum of Korea. In 1987, he received the Sakuyokonohana Award, and in 2011, the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Award of the Republic of Korea.
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40th (2021)
Hidehiro Ohtake
"The Northwoods - the life-giving land" (Clevis)
[Brief biography]
Hidehiro Ohtake
Born in Maizuru, Kyoto in 1975, and raised in Setagaya, Tokyo. Graduated from Hitotsubashi University's Faculty of Sociology. Since 1999, he has been photographing wild animals, travel, and people's lives in the Northwoods, a lake district in North America. His work has been published in domestic and international media, with the theme of the connection between humans and nature. His main photo picture books include "In the Northwoods Forest," "Looking for Spring: A Canoe Journey," and "The Forest is Watching" (all published by Fukuinkan Shoten). He won the 7th Tadao Umesao Mountain and Exploration Literature Award for "And Then I Set Out on a Journey: The Northwoods, the Forest of Beginnings" (Asunaro Shobo), which describes how he decided to become a photographer and his first journey. He won the 2018 Nikkei National Geographic Photo Award in the Nature category for his work capturing the parenting of great grey owls.
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41st (2022)
Keizo Kitajima
"UNTITLED RECORDS"
[Announcement on the award]
Questioning My Life Since 3/11
"UNTITLED RECORDS" was a series that I had been developing at my own pace, trying not to make too much noise, so I was a little surprised when I heard that I had won the award.
Especially since the Great East Japan Earthquake, we have repeatedly experienced familiar landscapes changing into something completely different the next day. We have seen the contradictions of the society to which we belong erupt and become exposed. To me, the past decade, from the Great East Japan Earthquake to the Olympics and the pandemic, overlaps with the period from the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake to the Second Sino-Japanese War, the phantom Olympics, and the Pacific War, and it seems as if we are moving into an even more critical era, not to mention military tensions in the Far East and the invasion of Ukraine.
The intention of this series was to document the personal activities of a photographer in such times, for better or worse, in their entirety, and to send them to future generations. However, now I feel a stronger sense of urgency, wondering, "How have you spent the time since the earthquake?" and, in fact, "Have we already spent 10 years that can't be undone?" Of course, I'm sure I'm not the only one who feels this way. But is that hope?
We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the selection committee for awarding the Domon Ken Award to "UNTITLED RECORDS."
[Brief biography]
Kitajima Keizo was born in Nagano Prefecture in 1954. Held his first solo exhibition, "BC Street" (Shinjuku Nikon Salon) in 1975. Major photo exhibitions include "Portraits" (Kawasaki City Museum) in 2001, "Kitajima Keizo 1975-1991 Koza/Tokyo/New York/Eastern Europe/Soviet Union" (Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography) in 2009, and "Tanesasa Scenery" (Hachinohe City Museum of Art) in 2013. Overseas, he has exhibited in Seoul, South Korea in 1987, Portland, USA in 2004, New York in 2007 and 2009, and San Francisco in 2013. Major photo books include "Photographic Express Tokyo" (Parolsha) in 1979, "NEW YORK" (Byakuya Shobo) in 1982, "A.D. 1991" (Kawade Shobo Shinsha) in 1991, and "THE JOY OF PORTRAITS" (RAT HOLE GALLERY) in 2009. Notable awards he has received include the Photographic Society of Japan Newcomer Award in 1981, the 8th Kimura Ihei Award for his photo book "New York" in 1983, the 32nd Ina Nobuo Award for "USSR" in 2007, the 26th Higashikawa Award Domestic Photographer Award in 2010, and the Sagamihara Photography Award for "ISOLATED PLACES" in 2012.
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42nd (2023)
Stern Osamu
"Modern Architectural Heritage of Manchukuo" (Shukosha)
[Brief biography]
Funao Osamu Born in Kobe in 1960. Photographer and mountaineer. Graduated from the School of Biology at the University of Tsukuba. After working for a publishing company for about seven years, he is now working as a freelancer. He continues to publish works that explore the relationship between human life and the climate, mainly set in Africa and Asia. His main photo books include "UJAMAA: Funao Osamu Photo Collection" (Yama to Keikokusha) in 2000, "Japanese Remaining in the Philippines" (Toseisha) in 2015, "Kamisama Hotokesama: Kunisaki Peninsula" (same publisher) in 2017, and "The Stones Whisper: Ancient Layers of Japanese Prayers Hidden in the Kunisaki Peninsula" (K2 Publications) in 2021. His main awards include the 25th Hayashi Tadahiko Award, the 16th Sagamihara Photography Award, and the 1st Enari Tsuneo Award. He lives in Kitsuki, Oita Prefecture.
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43rd (2024)
Mao Ishikawa
"Mao Ishikawa: What Can I Do?" (Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery)
[Brief biography]
Ishikawa Mao was born in Okinawa Prefecture in 1953. He began taking photographs in the 1970s and studied at the WORKSHOP Photography School Tomatsu Shomei Classroom. He continues to work in Okinawa, producing works that closely relate to the people of Okinawa. His main photo books include "Passionate Days in Camp Hansen!!" (1982, A-man Publishing), "Port Town Elegy" (1990, self-published), "Okinawa Play - The Story of Sachiko Nakata's One Line" (1991, self-published), "Okinawa Seoul" (2002, Ohta Publishing), "FENCES, OKINAWA" (2010, Miraisha), and "Eyes Seeing the Hinomaru" (2011, Miraisha). His works have been widely exhibited both in Japan and abroad, and many are included in public collections, including the Okinawa Prefectural Museum and Art Museum, the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum, the Yokohama Museum of Art, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (USA), and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (USA). Notable awards include the Sagamihara Photography Award (2011), the Photographic Society of Japan Award Writer's Award (2019), the Art Encouragement Prize (2012), and the 40th Higashikawa Photography Award Domestic Writer's Award (2012).
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44th (2025)
Kazuyoshi Koshiba
"Minamata Story 1971-2024" (Genshobo)
"Minamata Story" is a monochrome film that captures the lives of fetal and child Minamata patients, filming them at home and in hospitals from 1971 to 2024. It also includes scenes of Minamata City, Kumamoto Prefecture, and Izumi City, Kagoshima Prefecture, which have changed over the years. The filmmaker's determination to continue recording the pollution problem and show it to society was highly praised.
[Brief biography]
Koshiba Kazuyoshi was born in Osaka Prefecture in 1948. After graduating from university, he began working as a photography assistant at the Nishikawa Takeshi Photography Office in 1972. He also served as an assistant to Domon Ken on his "Pilgrimage to Old Temples" and other works. In 1974, he became an independent photographer. He began covering Minamata disease, which he continued until 1979. He then based himself in Osaka, taking mainly advertising photographs. He resumed covering Minamata in 2007. His main photo books include "Minamata: Goodbye, Goodbye, Hello 1974-2013" (2013, Japan Educational Research Center), "Impressions of Paris" (2014, Youbisha), "Fukushima: The Little Birds Don't Sing Anymore" (2018, Nanatsumori Shoten), and "Photographs: Tokyo Twilight" (2022, Sodosha). Major photo exhibitions include "Goodbye Minamata, Hello" (2009, Shinjuku and Osaka Nikon Salons), "Fukushima: The Birds No Longer Sing" (2018, Ginza Nikon Salon), and "Minamata as Seen by Nine Photographers" (2022, Kumamoto Nichinichi Shimbun and Newspaper Museum).
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