Iconic Japanese photographer Eikoh Hosoe dies at the age of 91

Pioneering Japanese photographer, filmmaker, and professor Eikoh Hosoe passed away on September 16, in Tokyo at the age of 91.

Renowned for his striking high-contrast black-and-white images, Hosoe is recognized as one of the most influential Japanese photographers to ever pick up a camera.

Hosoe was a key figure in the acceptance of photography as fine art in post-war Japan, establishing an infrastructure that enabled and encouraged the medium in his home country, paving the way for photographers such as Daidō Moriyama.

Born in 1933, Hosoe's photographic career spanned over 70 years, during which he contributed immeasurable advancement to photography in Japan, as well as having a pivotal role in introducing contemporary Western photographers to Asian audiences.

Above: A fantastic interview where Hosoe discusses photographic philosophies and his body of work, Kamaitachi .

His photographic collaborations became the stuff of legend, often working with numerous important cultural and artistic figures from the world of literature, film, dance, and art.

One of his most significant body of works that arose from one of these collaborations was his series Barakei (Ordeal by Roses) , which includes portraits of controversial Japanese author Yukio Mishima. At the time, it is said to have caused a stir internationally both in Japan and the USA due to its themes of birth, death, sex, entrapment, isolation, and references to the martyrdom of Saint Sebastian.

His influence on photography did not stop with his own work as he held many positions to elevate photography in the region and championed those around him by providing platforms for the work to be shared.

On the listing of his exceptional self-titled book, Eikoh Hosoe , Mack, the book publisher, states, "Since the mid-1950s, Eikoh Hosoe has been at the forefront of photographic practice in Japan: as an image-maker encompassing a broad range of subjects; a curator introducing works of master European and American photographers to Japan in 1968; a teacher informing the careers of numerous distinguished photographers."

It continues, "He co-established an influential lens-based art journal, co-founded the photographic cooperative Vivo and later the progressive Photography Workshop, created a university education curriculum and photography collection, and exhibited and published numerous books and catalogues of his own photographs in Japan".

Eikoh Hosoe's imprint on the world of photography is legendary and much of the work we see today out of Japan, is thanks to him paving the way for future generations.

If you are not familiar with his work and love black and white photography, I recommend taking a look along with some of the photographers that he has influenced.