I came across the photo works by Ichiro Kojima by chance, on TV program, which was introducing his photo exhibision held in Aomori prefecture (northern part of Japan).

By that time, I didn’t know his name. He died in 1960s when he was 39 years old. He was already getting famous when he was alive, for his artistic photos of the nature and the peasant’s life in Aomori and Hokkaido. However after his death, he was almost forgotten, and also he is mostly unknown in abroad.the exhibision this year could be the revival and revaluation of his works in Japan.

The image of northern part of japan, such as Aomori and Hokkaido of that time,  may be, I suppose, similar to the image of  the northern part of the UK in 1940s-1960s.

Cold and severe climate, dull sunlight, bulk of snow, hard life…Kojima’s photos carry those images very directly , but at the same time, those severe reality turned to the   artistic and beautiful forms in his works.

Talking about some of his last works which are printed in high contrast, they are almost like the abstract paintings, getting rid of any substantial forms. 

I heard that Kojima was linked to Jean-François Millet by the critics, but  I myself, remind of the photo works by Mario Giacomelli from Kojima’s works.

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My Newest book will be released at the end of this month (April 2009). This book is coming with full colour illustrations for wildflowers grown in Japan. I have done all of the illustrations and texts and it took almost for 4 years since the project started until it will be out!

these days , it is getting really spring here. In taking a walk around my home, I found various wildflowers blooming and I remind of the same season in last year, I went out to get them for sketching.

Above right is the cover of the book ‘Nonohana Ehon’(means Picture book for Wildflowers’), and the left is the one of my sketchings for this book.( I’ve used the technique to make the paper look old )

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