Kishin Shinoyama, Japan’s Most Famous Photographer

Today I went into Tokyo with Mrs. J-List to visit an amazing photo exhibition by Kishin Shinoyama, who’s taken pretty much every amazing photograph relating to Japan in any way in the 20th century.

You know all the iconic photos of John Lennon and Yoko Ono kissing? That was him. Ever seen those incredible photos of writer Yukio Mishima posing in all his manly glory? That was Kishin, too. Over five decades he’s taken photos of pretty much every major name in Japan, including every famous actor and actress, amazing kabuki performers, pop singers and ballet dancers, and sumo wrestlers, creating a perfect document of 50 years of Japan.

One of the themes I’ve often written is about how the Japanese love nothing more than one of their number becomes famous around the world, raising the status of Japan internationally. It’s one thing to be an amazing photographer who can shoot all the most famous people with your camera at will, but when your camera is the one to capture the happy life of John and Yoko in the Dakota just months before John Lennon’s untimely murder, it adds to your reputation. Also being there to document Mishima before his bizarre death by seppuku, of all things, well, that’s just amazing.

Naturally, Kishin is famous for his many nudes of both men and women, and some of the most amazing models have been captured by his skillful lens. He even shot nude photography in Tokyo’s oldest cemetery, and got arrested for it. Because if you don’t get arrested at least once for your art, you’re just not trying hard enough.

If you happen to be in Tokyo and want to see the amazing Kishin Shinoyama exhibition, the link is here, but it ends October 27, so hurry. This show is branded as Kishin’s “final” photo exhibition because of his age, so you never know if you’ll be able to see an event like this again.