This is a remarkable work by Ken Domon, a master of realist photography, in which he takes on the challenge of capturing the traditional Japanese performing art of "Bunraku."
With a keen gaze and weighty monochrome, Dōmon captures the figures of the puppets and puppeteers on stage, delving into the essence of Bunraku. The supple movements created by the three puppeteers working as one, the tense atmosphere of the black-clothed attendants, and the expressions of the puppets emerging in the light—all of these, filtered through Dōmon's lens, acquire a vitality that transcends mere documentation.
This is one of Dōmon's representative series exploring the "Japanese spirit," and it is a book with unparalleled value as both a work of photographic art and a record of traditional performing arts. It is a rare photo collection that captures the profound depths of Bunraku.
[Title] Bunraku
[Publisher] Shinshodo Publishing
[Publication Date] July 30, 1984 (3rd printing) *First edition was in 1973
[Number of Pages] No page numbers
[Size] Approximately 25.8 x 16.3 x 1.1 cm, 0.47 kg
[Format] Softcover
[Title Reading] BUNRAKU
[Author/Editor, etc.] Ken Doman / Author
[Printing] Nippon Photo Printing
[ISBN] 4-50112-2
[Condition] Used [ 6 ] Above average to average (slightly yellowed top edge, slight staining on the back cover)
[Accessories] None
[Published in] None
[Related Exhibitions]
Ken Domon (1909-1990)
Born in 1909 in Sakata City, Yamagata Prefecture.
In 1939, he joined "Nihon Koubou," a workshop run by Yoichiro Natori, and studied graphic journalism, but he left the same year after clashing with Natori.
After the war, he worked as a freelancer, capturing people and society with a keen, realistic eye, while also focusing on photographing Japanese traditional culture and architecture.
In 1958, he won the 2nd Photo Critics Association Writer's Award for "Hiroshima" (Kenko-sha). The following year, in 1959, he received the Minister of Education's Arts Encouragement Award, and in 1960, he won the gold prize at the East Berlin International Press Photo Exhibition, gaining high acclaim both domestically and internationally.
His representative works include "Hiroshima," "Pilgrimage to Ancient Temples," and "Bungaku" (Bunraku), and his approach of thoroughly approaching his subjects was called "Dōmon Realism."
In 1981, the "Dōmon Ken Prize" was established by the Mainichi Shimbun, and it continues to serve as a venue for honoring achievements in the Japanese photography world.
He passed away in Tokyo on September 15, 1990.
