Japanese photographer Takeji Iwamiya (1920-1985) worked professionally as an industrial and advertising photographer, but his great passion lay with Japanese landscapes, including temples and shrines, architecture, traditional Japanese rituals, and Japanese handicrafts. His oeuvre, which focuses on the traditional beauty and depth of Japanese culture, had a profound influence on later generations of photographers.
Since his uncle ran a photography business, Iwamiya developed an interest in photography as a boy. As a young man, he joined the Tanpei Photography Club in Osaka, where he learned the fundamentals of photography. After World War II, he established himself as a photographer and opened a photography shop in Osaka. His evocative images and exceptional eye for detail made Iwamiya one of Japan's greatest postwar photographers. He is considered the first to truly recognize and portray the inner beauty of Japanese culture after the devastation of the war.
Among Iwamiya's most important photographic collections are Katachi: Japanese Traditions I & II (Bijutsu Shuppansha, 1962, Japan Photographic Society Award of the Year), Kyo in KYOTO (Tankoshinsha, 1965, Mainichi Art Award), Court Garden I, II & III (Tankoshinsha, 1968, Minister of Education Award for Art Encouragement), Buddhist Statues in Asia (Shueisha).
After his death in 1989, the master photographer of the Shōwa period left behind an extensive archive of images. From this archive, 421 works were selected for the retrospective "The Works of Iwamiya Takeji - Beauty and Shapes ." A beautiful and timeless book, a visual journey into the soul of Japan.
Image sources:
KATACHI - Secret of Japanese Beauty. Published by: Office du Livre, Fribourg, 1964.
The Works of Iwamiya Takeji - Beauty and Shapes. Edited by Mitsumura Suiko Shoin, 2018.
