What's this? Book review of Yoshihiro Tatsuki's photo book.

PhotoGuide Japan receives a commission when you buy at Amazon using our Amazon links/search box.

Search Now: �

サーチ: �

Impressions: This is a collection of black-and-white portraits of 100 Japanese celebrities posed with a son or daughter. They were taken over a period of two and a half years from 1994, and they originally appeared in a pictorial series in the Sunday Mainichi weekly magazine.

The photographer says that most people not used to being photographed get self-conscious or bashful when photographed. This is even more apparent when the person is photographed with his or her own child. But at the same time, the parent's pride in his or her child comes across.

The book shows two portraits for each parent-and-child pair. One portrait is of the child by herself or himself, and the other portrait shows both the parent and child together. There is a biography of the parent and child, and a short essay written by the child. The essay usually describes some anecdote about the parent or his or her relationship with the parent.

The photographer, who is a longtime celebrity and glamour photographer, has put together an impressive collection of celebrities. They include kabuki actor Koshiro Matsumoto and daughter Takako Matsu, former synchronized swimming Olympic bronze medalist Mikako Kotani and her mom, golfer Isao Aoki and his half-American daughter Jane, artist Tadanori Yokoo and his daughter, symphony conductor Seiji Ozawa and his attractive daughter born in San Francisco, actor Shintaro Katsu and son, singer Yuzo Kayama and daughter Mayuko, AIDS victim and activist Ryuhei Kawada and his mom, and Kochi Pref. Governor Daijiro Hashimoto and his son who has not entered politics like his dad and uncle (former Prime Minister Ryutaro Hashimoto).

A second book in this same series has also been published.

1100-6