Kimura Ihē

Kimura Ihē

Kimura Ihē ( Japanese 木村 伊 兵衛 ; born December 12, 1901 in Shitaya , Tokyo City (today: Taitō , Tokyo ); died May 31, 1974 in Tokyo), often also transcribed as Kimura Ihei , was a Japanese photographer.

life and work

In 1920 Kimura was sent to Taiwan to work in a sugar factory. During this time he attended photo studios and learned commercial photography. After a stay of two years he was able to return to Tokyo.

In 1924 Kimura opened his own studio in Tokyo, and in 1930 he worked part-time in the advertising department of Kaō . At the time he bought a Leica I and was known for his enthusiasm for the Leica. In 1933 he opened the Nihon Kōbō ( 日本 工房 ) together with Natori Yōnosuke , Hara Hiromu , Ina Nobuo ( 伊奈 信 男 ; 1898–1978) and other photographers . The photographers made their living with news photographs. During this time, Kimura gained recognition for his exhibition of photographs by famous artists.

In 1934, Kimura became a member of the International News Photographers Association and sent news photos to foreign newspapers. In 1939, his photo of General Hayashi Senjūrō ​​appeared on the cover of Life magazine . In 1941 he became the head of the photography department of Front magazine and was sent to Manchuria and northern China.

From 1947 Kimura worked for "Sun News Photos" and in 1949 was able to place a cover photo on the revived magazine "Asahi Camera". In 1950 he was elected the first president of the Japan Professional Photographers Society ( 日本 写真 家 協会 , Nihon shashinka kyōkai ) and was asked to become an advisor to the Leica Club.

From 1952 on, Kimura began to increasingly contact amateur photographers and collected material from the provinces. That was the time when he himself took his famous photos of rural life in Akita Prefecture . In 1956 Kimura won the "Prize of the Minister of Culture" ( 文 部 大臣 賞 , Mobudajin-shō ) and became director of the "Association for Cultural Exchange Between Japan and China".

An overview of Kimura's work was published in 1963 in the exhibition “Great Photographers of this Century” ( 今 世紀 大 写真 家 展 , Konseiki daishishinka-ten ), organized by Photo Kina.

In 1963 Kimura led the first group of Japanese photographers to China and then again in 1965. In that year he was also awarded the Japan Photography Critics Association ( 日本 写真 批評 価 協会 , Nihon shashin hihyōka kyōkai ). In 1968 Kimura organized an exhibition of his works in the "Nikon Salon" under the title "The eyes of Kimura Ihē" ( 木村 伊 兵衛 の 眼 , Kimura Ihē no me ). In the same year he became chairman of the "Nikkor Club" of the Nikon company .

In 1973 Kimura visited China again, this time with young Japanese photographers. One year after Kimura's death in 1974, the Asahi newspaper donated the "Kimura-Ihei-Photo Prize" ( Kimura Ihei Shashin-shō ), which has been awarded annually since then.

Remarks

1. ^ "Front" was a Japanese propaganda magazine under this German title that appeared from 1942 to 1945.

literature

• Tazawa, Yutaka: Kimura Ihei . In: Biographical Dictionary of Japanese Art. Kodansha International, 1981. ISBN 0-87011-488-3 .

Web links

• List of the Kimura Ihei Photo Prize winners.

Japanese name: As is common in Japan, the family name comes before the first name in this article . So Kimura is the family name, Ihei the first name.