|
is a Japanese photographer best known within Japan for four series of monochrome photographs: scenes of buildings in and close to Tokyo, portraits of people in the Asakusa area of Tokyo, and rural and town life in India and Turkey. He has pursued each of these for over two decades, and each has led to one or more book-length collections. Although previously a respected name in Japanese photography,〔 Note Kikai's winning of the Ina Nobuo Award in 1988 (for details, see below); and the inclusion by 2000 of his works in the permanent collection of the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography as implied by Sumiyo Mitsuhashi (), “Kikai Hiroo” (), ''Nihon shashinka jiten'' () / ''328 Outstanding Japanese Photographers'' (Kyoto: Tankōsha, 2000; ISBN 4-473-01750-8), p. 98 (despite its alternative title in English, the book is in Japanese only).〕 Kikai was not widely known until 2003, when the first edition of his book ''Persona,'' a collection of Asakusa portraits, won both the Domon Ken Award and Annual Award of the PSJ.〔Domon Ken Award: “(Domon Ken–shō no rekishi to zen-jushō-shashinka )” (, list of award-winners since 1982) (accessed 6 March 2006). PSJ award: “(2004-nen Nihon Shashin Kyōkai-shō jushōsha )”.〕 In 2009, the ICP and Steidl copublished ''Asakusa Portraits'' for an international market. ==Early years== Kikai was born in the village of Daigo (now part of Sagae, Yamagata Prefecture) on 18 March 1945 as the seventh and last child (and fifth son) of the family.〔Place of birth, siblings: Kōtarō Iizawa, “Kikai Hiroo” (), in ''Japanīzu fotogurafāzu: 14nin no shashinka-tachi no “ima”'' () / ''Japanese photographers'' (Tokyo: Hakusuisha, 2005; ISBN 4-560-02705-6), p. 131. (Despite the book’s alternative English title, the text is all in Japanese. This article, which runs pp. 129–43, previously appeared in ''Asahi Camera,'' November 2004, pp. 248–52.) Date of birth: “(Domon-Ken-shō jushō kinen Kikai Hiroo shashinten ‘Persona’ )” (, Hiroh Kikai photograph exhibition “Persona”, in celebration of the Domon Ken Award), Shōmeidō Gallery (松明堂ギャラリー), 2005 (accessed 5 March 2006).〕 He had a happy childhood, from the age of 11 or so preferring to play by himself in the nature that surrounded the village.〔Noriyuki Kanda (, ''Kanda Noriyuki''), “Gendai no shōzō: Shashinka Kikai Hiroo: Jinsei no fuhen o toru to iu otoko” (, A portrait of today: The photographer Hiroh Kikai: The man who photographs the universality of life), ''Aera,'' 25 April 2005. p. 61 (the article runs pp. 59–63).〕 He graduated from high school in 1963 and worked in Yamagata for a year, and then went to Hosei University in Tokyo to study philosophy. As a student he was keen on the cinema — he particularly enjoyed the films of Andrzej Wajda, who would later contribute essays to some of his books, and Satyajit Ray — and has said that he would have worked in film production if it did not require writing, a task he has never enjoyed, and money, which he lacked.〔Film tastes: Iizawa, “Kikai Hiroo”, p. 132. Film as a career: Kanda, “Gendai no shōzō”, p. 63.〕 Immediately after his graduation in 1968,〔Both Kikai’s book ''Perusona / Persona'' (first impression, 2005, n.p.) and his ''Tōkyō Mutan / Labyrinthos'' (first impression, 2007, n.p.) say 1978, presumably first a typo or mistake and then inherited misinformation. His other books ''India'' (n.p.) and ''Ya-Chimata'' (n.p.) have him graduating in 1969. His book ''In-between'' 8 says 1968. (For details see “Books by Kikai”.) Kikai says that 1968 is correct (conversation, 3 March 2006).〕 Kikai worked for two years as a truck driver and for two in a shipyard.〔Hideko Oiwake (, ''Oiwake Hideko''), “Kindaika ni norenakatta otoko: Kikai Hiroo” (, A man who couldn’t get on board modernization: Hiroh Kikai), ''Shashin Jidai,'' November 1984, p. 141.〕 Meanwhile, he stayed in touch with his philosophy professor from his university days, Sadayoshi Fukuda, whose interests extended to writing a regular column for the magazine ''Camera Mainichi''; he introduced Kikai to its editor, Shōji Yamagishi, who showed him photographs by Diane Arbus that made a great impact on Kikai.〔Iizawa, “Kikai Hiroo”, pp. 132–33; Kanda, “Gendai no shōzō”, p. 62.〕 Kikai started to take photographs in 1969. At that time (when somebody fresh out of university could expect to earn ¥40,000 per month), a Hasselblad SLR camera normally cost ¥600,000; Kikai heard of an opportunity to buy one for ¥320,000 and mentioned this to Fukuda, who immediately lent him the money, with no interest, and no date or pressure for repayment. (The loan was eventually repaid.) This Hasselblad 500CM, with its 80mm lens, is what Kikai has used for his portraits ever since.〔Purchase and use of the Hasselblad: “Watashi kyō kinō ashita 24: Kikai Hiroo san” (, Me today yesterday tomorrow 24: Hiroh Kikai), ''Croissant'' no. 640, 10 July 2004, p. 98 (the article runs pp. 98–101).〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Hiroh Kikai」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|