fruit of his passionate and contemplative approach
is evident in numerous publications, such asKoten
JunreiandNihon no Tera.
In 1940, Domon joined a group from Nihon
Mingei Kyoˆkai (Association of Japanese Folk
Art) led by the founder of the ‘‘folk movement,’’
Yanagi Muneyoshi, on a visit to Okinawa. During
their two-week stay, his group commented that the
imposition of ‘‘standard’’ Japanese language on the
Okinawan people was a gesture of disrespect
toward Okinawan culture. This caused political
friction with their sponsoring officials in an inci-
dent that came to be known as ‘‘Hoˆgen ronsoˆ’’
(controversy of dialect).
During the Pacific War, Domon photographed
bunraku, traditional Japanese puppet theater, Bud-
dhist statues, and created portraits of Japanese intel-
lectuals. The compilation of these portraits was
published in the magazineShashin bunkain 1943,
(later published asFuboin 1953), and he won the
first Arusu Photographic Culture award for this work.
After the war, Domon served on the jury for photo-
graphic contests that targeted amateur and emerging
photographers sponsored by the international maga-
zineCamera, and in 1949 he published his famous
essay ‘‘on being a jury member for the contest’’ as
introductory remarks for those submitting their
works. As a result of this experience, Domon devoted
increasingly more time writing criticism and corre-
sponding with amateur photographers. The publica-
tion of this essay, in which he brought attention to the
concept of ‘‘realism photography,’’ had an enormous
impact not only on the works submitted to the con-
tests and Domon’s own work, but also on the ways
that both amateur and professional photographers
thought about their work. Controversy followed
Domon’s call for ‘‘realism photography.’’
According to Domon, realism photography is an
attitude toward practicing photography and is not
to be defined by abstract concepts or a particular
style of photograph. To achieve it, he encouraged
photographers to establish a ‘‘direct connection’’
between the motif and the camera, by ‘‘listening to
the voice that the motif shouts and control the
camera in accord with it.’’ He further contended
that ‘‘when the camera is moved as directed by the
motif, there exists a direct connection between the
motif and the camera.’’ Domon wrote another
essay entitled ‘‘Realism photography that takes
absolutely non-directed absolute snap as a basic
method,’’ in 1953. This essay signals a shift toward
more social and political motifs in Domon’s own
work. Domon stated that ‘‘realism photography
stares directly at actuality and is a manifestation
of a spirit of revolt to change actuality to a correct
direction.’’ Furthermore, the absolutely non-direc-
ted absolute snap ‘‘emerges from the body of
photographers who attack wholeheartedly social
actuality’’ and ‘‘is the solo creative method to add
something to society as an artist.’’ One of the pro-
jects that resulted from the exploration and articu-
lation of ‘‘realism photography’’ is Hiroshima
(1958), and its sequelLiving Hiroshima(1978), in
which Domon illustrated the profound presence of
the atomic bomb as an on-going, complicit part of
reality in contemporary Hiroshima, refuting the
popular tendency to regard Hiroshima as a histor-
ical event. Domon suffered a stroke in 1960 that
left his right hand paralyzed. This forced him to
give up the use of 35 mm cameras, and he turned to
the large format view camera, which allowed him
to continue photographing Buddhist statues and
temples. Domon died in 1990.
Throughout his career, Domon published num-
erous essays and gave speeches on photography
and being a photographer to a wide audience. His
often didactic and passionate approach was evident
most clearly among the amateur photographers
and photographs submitted for contests. Domon
also wrote numerous short essays accompanying
his photographic images in publications, and his
powerful and energetic writings testify to his ded-
ication to the profession and the medium. In 1983,
the Ken Domon Museum opened in his birthplace
of Sakata, the first museum dedicated solely to the
work of one photographer in Japan.
MakiFukuoka
Seealso:Moholy-Nagy, La ́szlo ́; Photography in JapanBiography
Born in Sakata City, Yamagata prefecture, 25 October- Became apprentice to Miyauchi Kotaro at a por-
trait studio, 1933; worked atNippon Koboas a photo-
grapher in Tokyo, 1935–1939; became an associated
photographer of Association of International Cultural
Promotion, 1939; A jury to photography contest for a
magazineCamera, 1950, with Kimura Ihei, 1952, alter-
nately with Kimura, 1953; jury forPhotoartmagazine
1956–1963. ARS Photographic Culture Prize, 1943;
Association of Photographers, Koro-Award, 1955;
Mainichi Book Prize for the publication ofMurou-ji,
1955; Mainichi Photography Award, 1958; The Photo-
grapher of the Year Award of Japan Photo Critics Asso-
ciation, 1958; The Minister of Education Awards of
Arts, 1959; East Berlin International Photojournalism
Award, 1960; Photographic Society of Japan Award,
1960; Japan Journalists Congress Award, 1960; Mainichi
Award for Arts forTsukuhoˆno kodomotachi, andRumie-
chan ha otoˆsan ga shinda, 1961; Kikuchi Kan Award for
Koji Junrei, 1971; Purple Ribbon Medal, 1973; Asahi
Award, 1979. Died in Tokyo, 15 September 1990.
DOMON, KEN