Domon Museum of Photography
Ken Domon Museum of Photography
This photo museum was built to commemorate the work of the photographer, Ken Domon and was the first photography museum in Japan. Most of his 70,000 pieces of photography are stored here.
Ken Domon was born in Sakata in 1909. He set out to become a photographer after becoming enamored with photography at the age of 24. In time, his work came to be highly acclaimed not only in Japan, but also throughout the world of photography.
His work is characterized by a pursuit of complete realism without compromise. He sought to take photos that capture the subject in a manner that speaks to the viewer. There are many stories about Ken Domon that illustrate the passion he had for taking photos.
He was known to read many documents and books about an item or person before taking any photos because he wanted to know all about the photography subject. Once, although he was ill and unable to freely move about, he visited Muro Temple for a month waiting for the perfect moment to take a single picture there.
Collections of his best work include a pilgrimage of ancient temples (photos of old temples and statues of Buddha), Hiroshima (photos of the dire state of residents after the atomic bomb), and the people of Chikuho (photos of the day-to-day lives of coal miners and residents).
(Koichi Ito et al., VIPS)
The photos on this page are courtesy of the Shonai Visitors Association and Sakata City.