Every photographs in Japan,

Only one almanac

 

The photography records and expresses everything in the universe. But there are no publications in the world except for this book that record and express everything about the photography. Awards, Exhibitions, Albums and Books related to the photography are almost innumerable today, beyond comparison with a decade ago. When we look at the works by prize winners, which constitutes the chapter one of this book, we are impressed by their varieties and affluence of their creativity

This book summarizes everything that took place in the world of photography from January 1 through December 31 of the year 2008, so this is the fourth volume of the series that started in 2006, which covered the photographic events in 2005.

 

Major Contents

Chapter 1 Prize Winners of 2008

“Tsuchida Hiromi’s Nippon”, by Mr.Hiromi Tsuchida, one of the representative contemporary photographers of this country, who was awarded the 27th Domon Ken Award, an award commemorating the famous Ken Domon. The Photographic Society of Japan Award is none the less important, traditional and authoritative, with two sections, namely Annual Award and Lifetime Achievement Award.  Messrs. Risaku SUZUKI, Ryuichiro SUZUKI and Masato SETO were chosen this year for the Annual Award, all three being still very active and creative.  For the Lifetime Achievement Award, Messrs. Shimpei ASAI and Bishin JUMONJI were selected, both of whom were so far active in commercial photography, but they have been awarded this time for their own creative pictures.

Messrs.Naoki ISHIKAWA, Takayuki MAEKAWA, Toshihiro YASHIRO　have been awarded Newcomers’ Award of the same society. Mr. ISHIKAWA has been awarded The 39th Kodansha Prize for Photography as well. He is an adventurer and a photographer at the same time, and a newcomer photographer who attracts the attention of many photo critics. Mr,MAEKAWA is a nature photographer taking pictures of animals with new style and concepts. Mr.YASHIRO is on the other hand devoting himself in a new style of creative expressions, such as “Rotating Rotation”.

Mr.Eikoh HOSOE, who was awarded Mainichi Art Award, a new award that is introduced for the first time in this series, is the photographer that represents Japanese photographic art.  We introduce here his awarded works, namely Dualism in Globe Photography and A Dream of a Butterfly.

Mr.Atsushi OKADA and Ms. Rieko SHIGA have been awarded Kimura Ihei Commemorative Prize, which can be compared to Akutagawa Prize in literature as the most famous award given to a debutant artist, with “I am” and “CANARY” respectively.

Nikon sponsors Ina Nobuo Award, which commemorates its 33rd awarding like Kimura Ihei Prize, has chosen in 2008 Mr.Kenshichi HESHII’s work titled “Lungs of Goat”, focusing on the life at Okinawa where he dwells for a long time.  Mr.Masaru KOBAYASHI is an amateur photographer living in Nagasaki has been awarded Hayashi Tadahiko Award with his works titled “Nagasaki Photorandom—Half a Century taking Pictures of Nagasaki” that records daily life of the people in the area that he has been living.

“VACANT LAND 1989” by Mr.Noboru HAMA, a veteran photographer working since 1960’s, and “Home” by Mr.Tomoyuki SAKAGUCHI, a newcomer, have both been awarded The 20th Shashin-no-Kai Award.

Higashikawa Photo Prize that started as an event of a town has been active now for 24 years. The Domestic Photographer Section of this Prize has been awarded to Ms. Asako NARAHASHI by her “from half awake and half asleep in the water/funiculi funicula/NUDE”, the Overseas Photographer Section of the Prize went to Mr. Klaus MITTELDORF for his “from INTROVISION/THE LAST CRY”, and in the New Photographer Section Ms.Tomoko SAWADA was awarded by her “from ID400 1998 School Days/A 2004”, and Special Section prize went to Mr.Yuji OBATA by his Winter Tale”.

Jun MIKI Award, being for debutants and commemorating the 10th year, has been awarded to Mr. Yasushi NISHIMURA for “Her Title” Mr.NISHIMURA is a member of the Photographers’ Gallery.

Photo City Sagamihara did also start as an event of a municipality, and 2008 was the 8th year since its inauguration. They rendered Professional Photographer Prize to Mr.Masataka NAKANO for his “My Lost America”, and Asian Professional `Photographer Prize to Mr.Lans BRAHMANTYO for his “Soul Odyssey”, and New Photographer Prize to Ms.Yoko ASAKAI for her “Sight”, and to Ms.Miyuki MOTOKI for her “A Knot of Breath”.

Mio Photo Award based in Tennoji,Osaka, gave its 2008 Grand Prix to Ms.Ai Kawamata for her “Action”.  They are comical documentary pictures

That depicts the process of her becoming a female fireman.  Canon gave New Cosmos of Photography Grand Prix 2008 on its 30th jubilee to Mr.Masanori HATA, who created vivid picture titled “Black Humor or Useless Word”, a photo so energetic that may go out of the boundary of the “photography”.

Konica-Minolta Foto-Premio 2007-2008 went to Ms.Tomoe KOBAYASHI for her “Where Blood is Dense”, which depicts a family, showing a new trend in the contemporary photography. The 30th Hitotsubo Exhibition of Photography awarded a similar picture titled “Sister Complex” catching a member of a family. Fuji Photo Salon The New Face Prize 2008 went to Mr.Satoru IWAMOTO for his “A Handprint on the Earth”, Mr.Megumu FUTONO for his “A Camera in my Hands of the First Time” and Mr.Takuya NAKAJIMA for his “Large Snowflakes”

Mr.Daisuke NAKASHIMA was awarded his photo album by Visual Art Photo Award 2008 Grand Prix for his work titled “Each Other”.  Mr.Masao ONO received the Grand Prix of Epson Color Imaging Contest 2008 for his work with a unique title “A Notice for the Charges for Staying Alive”

Sony also inaugurated Sony World Photographic Award 2008 and selected Ms.Vanessa Winship living in England for the Grand Prix for her portrait picture titled “Sweet Nothings” Maeda Shinzo Photo Award commemorates its 15th Jubilee and gave prize to Ms.Yoshiko Annen living in Toyama for her “Tonami Plain: A Madrigal for an Old Temple”.  The 6th Iida City Shihachi Fujimoto Photographic Award went to a well-known nature photographer Toshinobu TAKEUCHI for his “Dance of Silver Thaw”.  The Sakata-City Domon Ken Photographic Award, the prize for amateur photographers, gave the award of its 14th year to Mr.Akito OKUDA for his “Happy People”

The Natori Younosuke Photographic Award is sponsored by Japan Professional Photographers Society, and they gave 2007 Grand Prix to Mr. Genki YANASE for his “An Afterimage of Yugoslavia”, and a second-place prize to Mr.Nao NAKAI for his “Time for Kids”.  The Hikoma Ueno Award is sponsored by Kyushu Industrial University and they gave its award of the 9th year to Ms.Shou-Shu Chou from Shanghai, China, for her “Soul” The Nikakai Association of Photographers Award for amateurs has the tradition of 56 years and its prize for the 56th year went to “A Mood of Flowers” by Mr., Tadayoshi IWAUCHI.  The Days Japan International Photojournalism Award is one of very rare prizes for documentary pictures, and the special prize for their fourth year 2008 went to “Myanmar Marooned” by Mr.Adrees Latif, catching the very moment of the death of a Japanese video-journalist, Mr. Kenji Nagai, shot by a policeman while shooting video-pictures of demonstrators in Myanmar.

 

Chapter 2 “Roundtable Discussion; Photography 2007” is a discussion on noteworthy pictures selected from among many photographs publicized in the year 2007.  Panelists are Mr.Kotaro IIZAWA, a photo-critic, Ms.Yuri MATSUDA, a curator of Shoto Museum and Mr.Hiroyasu YAMAUCHI, a writer. The master of ceremony is Mr.Manabu TORIHARA, a student of the photography.

 

Chapter 3. “Interviews with People in Topic in 2008” is a special feature with 30 pages. 16 people have been interviewed, namely, Messrs and Mesdames Miyako ISHIUCHI, Hiromi TSUCHIDA, Toshio SHIBATA, Ryuichiro SUZUKI, Naoki ISHIKAWA, Atsushi OKADA, Noboru HAMA, Nao TSUDA, Kenro IZU, Masao ONO, Toyomitsu HIGA, Yutaka YAMASHITA, Masato SETO, Satoru YOSHIOKA, Hisako KUROIWA and Michitaka OTA.  The last paragraph was dedicated for lamentation to the late Mr.Shinichi KUSAMORI.

 

Chapter 4 “News 2008 in Japan” reports many events that took place during the year 2007 from January 1 through December 31 in chronological order. The reporter is Mr.Manabu TORIHARA.

 

Chapter 5 “Overseas News” reports events in various areas of the globe.  Europe is covered by Mr.India DHARGALKAR, a photo-consultant living in Paris, USA by Mr.Misao OBA, a photographer, China by Mr. Shuji OGAWA who teaches in Shanghai and Korea by Mr. Kim In Sook, a young photographer in Korea.

 

Chapter 6 “Photo Exhibitions 2008” covers 49 photo exhibitions held last

year in various cities in Japan with the reports and comments by Messrs.

Manabu TORIHARA, Hiroyasu YAMAGUCHI, Goro MORIMOTO and

Naoya YOSHIKAWA.

 

Chapter 7 consists of review of 57 photo books published in the last year,

the reviews being written by five photo-critics, namely Messrs.Kotaro

IIZAWA, Kinichi OBINATA, Ryuichi KANEKO, Kyoji MAEDA and Hiroyasu

YAMAGUCHI.

 

Chapter 8 “Advertisement Photography in 2008” is the comments and

reports on major commercial photos appeared in the last year through

the dialogue between Mr.Hiroshi SUGANUMA of Recruit who is an expert of

commercial photography and Mr. Koichi HARA, a well-known designer.

 

Chapter 9 “The Best Three Photographs 2008” have been selected from

among all pictures appeared in 2008 by ten photographers and

photo-critics namely Messrs. and Mesdames Kotaro IIZAWA, Teruo OKAI,

Takao KAJIWARA, Ryuichi KANEKO, Aki KUSUMOTO, Manabu

TORIHARA, Kyoji MAEDA, Naomi YANAGIMOTO,Hiroyasu YAMAUCHI

and Naoya YOSHIKAWA.

 

Chapter 10 “The Best Ten Foreign Books on the Web” were selected by

Mr.Yoshiro FUKUKAWA of Blitz International.

 

Chapter 11 “How Women Photographers are Working Today?” is a reportage

On very active female photographers by Ms. Mari AKO.

 

Chapter 12 “The Achievements by Nobuya YOSHIMURA—a Photo-Critic” is

giving spotlight to “Photo Images Quarterly ” edited and published by

Mr.Yoshimura. The reporter is Mr.Bin HIDAKA.

 

Chapter 13 “What Design means for a Photo Album” is a dialogue between

Mr.Kotaro IIZAWA, an enthusiastic photo-critic and Mr.Milky ISOBE, a

designer who created designs for many photo albums.

 

Chapter 14 “Interview: Yutaka TAKANASHI” is reporting the achievements

by Mr. Takanashi who introduced so many topic making works since his

debut.  The interviewer is Mr.Hiroshi OSHIMA.

 

Chapter 15 “List of Photo Prize Winners of the Past” is giving the names of

prize-winners of more than 400 major photographic prizes from their

inauguration until today. There are brief descriptions about the outline of

each prizes.

 

Chapter 16 “List of Names Related to Photography” is a directory of

photographers, photo-critics, writers, students, designers, art-directors,

institutions, groups and schools related to photography.

 

Chapter 17 “Photographic Galleries and Museums in Japan” gives

Information about galleries and museums related to photography which are

showing increase in their numbers even under this recessing economy. The

reporter is Mr.Yasunobu ICHII.

●ULTRA

●A Landscape by Japanese Spa Stream

●TOPOPHILIA

●Kiyoshi Niiyama’s World of  Photography

●Kiyoshi Niiyama’s World of Photography vol.2

●Revisiting Renowned Cameras