Items Similar to Ryo Ueguchi, Matsuo Kabuki
Want more images or videos?
Request additional images or videos from the seller
1 of 5
Hiroshi WatanabeRyo Ueguchi, Matsuo Kabuki2003
2003
About the Item
Those Kabuki players you see in my photographs are not with the mainstream Kabuki companies in Tokyo. They are with localized small groups located in various parts of Japan. They are not professional actors in a sense, as they don’t get paid for their plays. They actually spend quite a lot of their own money to be in the plays. Kabuki is known for lavish make-up, costumes, and stage set-ups. As such, those who want to be in the plays must be committed and prepared. They spend their time and money because of their love for being in the theater—attention they get, pride, prestige, and joy of being part of their tradition. One such company is based in a town called Nakatsugawa. The town is cozily nested at the foot of Japan Alps Mountains. It was situated at the halfway point between Tokyo and Kyoto of the old main road called Nakasendo in Edo era, and because of this strategic location, it flourished as a trading post about three hundred years ago. The town became rich, but had no cultures as they are away from big cities. They had to wait for Kabuki Company to arrive, which comes only once a year. Being tired of waiting, they finally decided to do Kabuki by themselves. They built a theater and hired make-up artists, costumers, and stage craftsmen from Kyoto just for themselves, and they started to play their favorite stories. Thus it became their tradition. I believe good portraits are the ones that show the characters and personality of the subjects--their human beings. I find it a difficult task, as people are so well educated about photographs nowadays. People know how to pose, how to make impressions, and how to look good, and hardly reveal what they really are. Those Kabuki players are also hidden in heavy make-up and wardrobes in a made-up world. But when they sit in front of my camera between plays, they are so much saturated (and worried) in their roles, that they pay very little attention to my existence. They are struck with stage fright and they repeat their lines over and over as I photograph. Remember this is not what they do everyday. On the other hand, they are not afraid of me, or of anyone else, as their faces are shielded by the heavy make-ups. They can be themselves without worrying about other people, as if they were in the masquerade. They feel that no one knows who he or she really is, or at least people know that they were in a fictional world. At those moments, they are much closer to me.
- Creator:Hiroshi Watanabe (1951, Japanese)
- Creation Year:2003
- Dimensions:Height: 10 in (25.4 cm)Width: 10 in (25.4 cm)
- Medium:
- Movement & Style:
- Period:
- Framing:Framing Options Available
- Condition:
- Gallery Location:Sante Fe, NM
- Reference Number:1stDibs: LU134210524872
Hiroshi Watanabe
" I go to places that captivate and intrigue me. I am interested in what humans do. I seek to capture people, traditions, and locales that first and foremost are of personal interest. I immerse myself with information on the places prior to leaving, but I try to avoid firm, preconceived ideas. I strive for both calculation and discovery in my work, keeping my mind open for surprises. At times, I envision images I’d like to capture, but when I actually look through the viewfinder, my mind goes blank and I photograph whatever catches my eye. Photographs I return with are usually different from my original concepts. My photographs reflect both genuine interest in my subject as well as a respect for the element of serendipity, while other times I seek pure beauty. The pure enjoyment of this process drives and inspires me. I believe there’s a thread that connects all of my work -- my personal vision of the world as a whole. I make every effort to be a faithful visual recorder of the world around me, a world in flux that, at very least in my mind, deserves preservation." – Hiroshi Watanabe
About the Seller
5.0
Vetted Seller
These experienced sellers undergo a comprehensive evaluation by our team of in-house experts.
Established in 1993
1stDibs seller since 2015
213 sales on 1stDibs
Typical response time: 9 hours
- ShippingRetrieving quote...Ships From: Santa Fe, NM
- Return PolicyA return for this item may be initiated within 14 days of delivery.
More From This SellerView All
- Bunshichi, Ena BunrakuBy Hiroshi WatanabeLocated in Sante Fe, NMThose Kabuki players you see in my photographs are not with the mainstream Kabuki companies in Tokyo. They are with localized small groups located in various parts of Japan. They are...Category
Early 2000s Contemporary Black and White Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
- Jidaibaba, Ena BunrakuBy Hiroshi WatanabeLocated in Sante Fe, NMThose Kabuki players you see in my photographs are not with the mainstream Kabuki companies in Tokyo. They are with localized small groups located in various parts of Japan. They are...Category
Early 2000s Contemporary Portrait Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
- Eri Tanaka, Tono KabukiBy Hiroshi WatanabeLocated in Sante Fe, NMThose Kabuki players you see in my photographs are not with the mainstream Kabuki companies in Tokyo. They are with localized small groups located in various parts of Japan. They are...Category
Early 2000s Contemporary Black and White Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
- Hirokazu Nishijima, Matsuo KabukiBy Hiroshi WatanabeLocated in Sante Fe, NMThose Kabuki players you see in my photographs are not with the mainstream Kabuki companies in Tokyo. They are with localized small groups located in various parts of Japan. They are...Category
Early 2000s Contemporary Portrait Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
- Isamu Taguchi, Tono KabukiBy Hiroshi WatanabeLocated in Sante Fe, NMThose Kabuki players you see in my photographs are not with the mainstream Kabuki companies in Tokyo. They are with localized small groups located in various parts of Japan. They are...Category
Early 2000s Contemporary Black and White Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
- Azusa Tukamoto as Osome, Matsuo KabukiiBy Hiroshi WatanabeLocated in Sante Fe, NMThose Kabuki players you see in my photographs are not with the mainstream Kabuki companies in Tokyo. They are with localized small groups located in various parts of Japan. They are...Category
Early 2000s Contemporary Black and White Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
You May Also Like
- Portrait of Helmut Newton, Monte-Carlo 1995, ed. #4 of 5, B&W PhotographyBy Silas ShabelewskaLocated in Cody, WYThis portrait of Helmut Newton was taken in 1995 during a TV Special on Helmut Newton with Télé Monte-Carlo (in the Principality of Monaco at...Category
2010s Contemporary Black and White Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
- Clint Eastwood, Durango, Mexico, 1969By Lawrence SchillerLocated in Chicago, ILClint Eastwood, Durango, Mexico 1969 Silver Gelatin Print 16 x 20 inches Edition size: 35 Please inquire for additional sizes Lawrence Schiller is an American producer, screen...Category
21st Century and Contemporary Contemporary Black and White Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin
- 'Cheetah Who Shops' Limited Edition Photographic Print by Getty, 20x16Located in San Rafael, CAAmerican silent film actress Phyllis Gordon (1889 - 1964) window-shopping in Earls Court, London with her four-year-old cheetah who was flown to Britain from Kenya. (Photo by B C Par...Category
1930s Contemporary Black and White Photography
MaterialsPhotographic Paper, Silver Gelatin
- 'Hungry Elephant' Limited Edition Photographic Print by Getty, 20x30Located in San Rafael, CAAn elephant named Mae West accepts an apple from a passing tram driver while taking her morning exercise along Gray's Inn Road, London, 16th December 1936. Mae is helping to publicis...Category
1930s Contemporary Black and White Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin, Photographic Paper
- Haywood Magee, Louis Armstrong on Stage Limited Edition Photographic Print 20x16Located in San Rafael, CAAmerican jazz trumpeter and bandleader Louis 'Satchmo' Armstrong (1900 - 1971), shouts after clarinettist Edmund Hall's solo, on stage during the band's British tour, May 19, 1956. A...Category
1950s Contemporary Black and White Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin, Photographic Paper
- Haywood Magee, Louis Armstrong on Stage Limited Edition Photographic Print 20x30Located in San Rafael, CAAmerican jazz trumpeter and bandleader Louis 'Satchmo' Armstrong (1900 - 1971), shouts after clarinettist Edmund Hall's solo, on stage during the band's British tour, May 19, 1956. A...Category
1950s Contemporary Black and White Photography
MaterialsSilver Gelatin, Photographic Paper
