HOSOE Eikoh: In Memoriam Exhibition

Part 1 July 4 [Fri.] – July 12 [Sat.] 2025
Part 2 July 16 [Wed.] – July 26 [Sat.] 2025
11:00 - 19:00
※Exhibit changes on July 15, Gallery closed Sun., Mon., and national holidays.

*Click images to view in original size

We are honored to present a memorial exhibition in tribute to a photographer HOSOE Eikoh, who passed away on September 16, 2024, at the age of 91.

Hosoe was a member of the emocratic Artists Association, a group that rejected the established art system in postwar Japan. Influenced by Ei-Q and other avant-garde artists of his time, he pursued an independent path as a freelance photographer. He created a number of groundbreaking works that redefined photographic expression in the postwar era. These include “Man and Woman”, a provocative exploration of eroticism featuring butoh dancer Tatsumi Hijikata and his collaborators; “Kamaitachi”, taking Tatsumi Hijikata in a rural village in Akita; and “Ordeal by Roses”, a striking portrait series featuring Yukio Mishima.

In the late 1960s, when photography in Japan was still largely regarded as a medium for printed reproduction, Hosoe recognized the significance of photographic prints as works of art. Inspired by the American practice of collecting original photographic prints, he came to understand the importance of prints made by the photographers themselves. Beyond his creative practice, he was also active in promoting photography education and advocating for the establishment of public photographic collections. In May 1974, Hosoe contributed an essay titled “A Request from a Photographer” to Gafu, the journal of the Gendai Hanga Center, in which he emphasized the value of original photographic prints.

Also deeply inspired by the architecture of Antoni Gaudí in Barcelona, Hosoe began photographing Gaudí's works in 1977—a project he would pursue for over 20 years. The result was a comprehensive photographic collection that captured the full range of Gaudí’s plastic art.

In 2003, as the Asbestos-kan—the birthplace of Tatsumi Hijikata’s Butoh—faced closure, a group of young Butoh dancers came together to create Harumoto: Ukiyo-e Utsushi. Inspired by ukiyo-e prints from the Edo period and other eccentric painters, the work sought to fuse the refined culture of Edo with the contemporary physical expression of Butoh.

In 2009, the “Eikoh Hosoe Photography Exhibition” was held in the small Italian city of Lucca. Presented as a “photographic picture scroll”, Hosoe’s iconic works were displayed in the splendid setting of Villa Bottini—a 16th-century noble residence adorned with ceiling and wall frescoes. The juxtaposition of Japanese-style picture scrolls and folding screens within the classical European architecture created a truly spectacular scene. Deeply moved by the setting, Hosoe captured it on film himself and later presented the images as an artwork in their own right.

This is the 10th “HOSOE Eikoh Photography Exhibition” at Toki-no-Wasuremono, and he has given several gallery talks. The reason we started taking commemorative photos after the gallery talk was because Mr. Eikoh Hosoe taught us, “Always take a commemorative photo when people gather, and be sure to pose properly.”

This marks the 10th “HOSOE Eikoh Photography Exhibition” held at Toki-no-Wasuremono, where Mr. Hosoe has given several gallery talks over the years. The tradition of taking commemorative photographs after each talk began with his advice: “Whenever people gather, always take a commemorative photo—and make sure to pose properly.”

In memory of Mr. Eikoh Hosoe, this exhibition will present a retrospective of his photography from his early to later years through two separate exhibitions of his representative works and other photographs that showed a diverse range of development.

This exhibition honors the memory of Mr. Eikoh Hosoe by presenting his photographs, primarily focusing on his representative works, in two separate presentations. It offers a retrospective view of his photography from his early years through to his later life.

■HOSOE Eikoh
Born 1933 in Yamagata Prefecture. 1950, began to learn English at a US military base and photographed the American children there. 1951, was awarded the grand prize at the 1st Fuji Photo Contest and decided to become a photographer. 1954, graduated from Tokyo College of Photography Department of Photography (now Tokyo Polytechnic University). Met Q Ei through Demokrato Bijutsu Kyokai and was heavily influenced.

1956, held his first solo exhibiton at Konica Photo Gallery in Ginza. 1959, was involved in the foundatio of VIVO (disbanded in 1961). 1960, awarded the Newcomer Award from the Photographic Critics Society of Japan and the Fuji Photo Contest Annual Artist Award. 1963, received the Artist Award from the Photographic Critics Society of Japan for the series "Barakei (Ordeal by Roses)". 1970, received the Minister of Education Award for Fine Arts for the series "Kamaitachi". 1975, became a professor at Tokyo College of Photography (now Tokyo Polytechnic University).

1982, held solo exhibitions across the US and in Paris, and won the Paris Award. 1983, received honorary award at the Arles International Photography Festival. 1994, became a professor at Tokyo Polytechnic University School of Art. Awarded the 1993 Annual Award from the Japan Photographers Association. 1995, became the first director of the Kiyosato Museum of Photographic Arts. 1998, became a full time professor at Tokyo Polytechnic University School of Art (retired 2003) and a full time professor for the school's Master's program (moved to the doctorate program in 2002). Awarded the Purple Ribbon Medal.

2003, received the 150th Special Anniversary Medal from the Royal Photographic Society in London. 2006, became the first Japanese to receive the Lucie Award (USA). 2010, was selected as a Person of Cultural Merit. 2017, awarded with the Order of the Rising Sun. Passed away in 2024 at the age of 91.

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