KIMURA Ihee (Ihei) 木村 伊兵衛

(1901.12.12 - 1974.5.31) Tokyo.

One of the most venerated Japanese photographers along with DOMON Ken. A founding member and the first president of the Japan Professional Photographer's Society (JPS).

Major themes
Rural Akita Pref., street photography, snapshooting people

Education
Graduated Keika School of Commerce in 1919.

Career
Worked for Abeko Co. in Tainan, Taiwan. Learned about photography during this time by frequenting the Endo Portrait Studio nearby. Established photo studio in Nippori, Tokyo in 1924. Worked in advertising for Kao Soap Co. in Tokyo 1930.

Started publication of Koga magazine in 1932 together with NOJIMA Yasuzo, NAKAYAMA Iwata, and INA Nobuo.

In 1933, helped to establish Nippon Kobo (documentary photographers group) with NATORI Yonosuke. Established Chuo Kobo in 1934. During the war, he headed the photo dept. of Toho-sha which published Front magazine.

News photographer for Berliner Illustriete Zeitung and staff member of Sun Photo News, Tokyo 1947. Freelance from 1948.

A founding member and the first president of the Japan Professional Photographer's Society (JPS) 1950-58.

Judge in 1952 for Camera magazine's (published by ARS) monthly photo contest.

A pioneer of 20th-century Japanese photography. In 1930, he bought a Leica camera which he mastered and used until his death. Influenced by Ota Hideshige, chief of the Kao Soap Co.'s advertising dept. and INA Nobuo.

When he saw an exhibition of Cartier-Bresson's photos in Japan in 1951, he started taking spontaneous shots to capture "the decisive moment."

Kimura concentrated on photographing people in their daily lives. He made the ordinary extraordinary, depicting the beauty of ordinary life. Basically a snapshooter who embraced realistic photography and did not pay much attention to composition.

Akita Pref.was a major theme, where he visited 21 times between 1952 and 1971. The prestigious, annual Kimura Ihee Award awarded by Asahi Camera magazine is named after him. (2002.5.26)

Awards
Kan Kikuchi Prize, Ministry of Education, Tokyo 1956.

Book reviews
Women of the Showa Era

Exhibitions
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Sample photos
http://www.kahitsukan.or.jp/ihe_e.html

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Biography in Japanese

1901 東京下谷金杉上町に生まれる
1932 野島康三、中山岩太と月刊雑誌『光画』を発刊
1933 名取洋之助、原弘、伊奈信男らと日本工房を設立
1935 沖縄県琉球本島に1ヶ月滞在し、写真撮影を行う
1950 日本写真家協会が設立され、初代会長に就任
1952 農村生活の撮影のため、秋田を訪れる
1974 5月31日死去、享年72歳

Added:  Friday, November 22, 2002
Posted by:  Philbert Ono
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