Shoji Ueda
Encyclopedia
Ueda was born on 27 March 1913 in Sakai (now Sakaiminato
), Tottori. His father was a manufacturer and seller of geta
; Shōji was the only child who survived infancy. The boy received a camera from his father in 1930 and quickly became very involved in photography, submitting his photographs to magazines; his photograph Child on the Beach , Hama no kodomo) appeared in the December issue of Camera
.
In 1930 Ueda formed the photographic group Chūgoku Shashinka Shūdan with Ryōsuke Ishizu
, Kunio Masaoka
, and Akira Nomura ; from 1932 till 1937 the group exhibited its works four times at Konishiroku Hall in Nihonbashi
, Tokyo
. Ueda studied at the Oriental School of Photography in Tokyo
in 1932 and returned to Sakai, opening a studio, Ueda Shashinjō , when only nineteen.
Ueda married in 1935, and his wife helped him to run his photographic studio. His marriage was a happy one; his wife and their three children are recurring models in his works. Ueda was active as an amateur as well as a professional photographer, participating in various groups.
In 1941 Ueda gave up photography, not wanting to become a military photographer. (Toward the end of the war, he was forced to photograph the result of a fire.) He resumed shortly after the war, and in 1947 he joined the Tokyo-based group Ginryūsha.
Ueda found the sand dunes of Tottori excellent backdrops for single and group portraits, typically in square format and until relatively late all in black and white. In 1949, inspired by Kineo Kuwabara
, then the editor of Camera
, Ueda photographed the dunes with Ken Domon
and Yōichi Midorikawa
. Some of these have Domon as a model, far from his gruff image. The photographs were first published in the September and October 1949 issues of Camera and have been frequently anthologized. Ueda started photographing nudes on the dunes in 1951, and from 1970 he used them as the backdrop for fashion photography.
The postwar concentration on realism led by Domon, followed by the rejection of realism led by Shōmei Tōmatsu
, sidelined Ueda's cool vision. Ueda participated in "Japanese Photography" at the New York Museum of Modern Art
in 1960 and had solo exhibitions in Japan, but had to wait till a 1974 retrospective held in the Nikon Salon
in Tokyo and Osaka
before his return to popularity.
Ueda remained based in Tottori, opening a studio and camera shop in Yonago
in 1965, and in 1972 moving to a new three-storey building in Yonago: Ueda Camera on the first floor, the Charanka coffee shop on the second, and Gallery U on the third. The building served as a base for local photographic life.
From 1975 until 1994, Ueda was a professor at Kyushu Sangyo University
.
Critical and popular recognition came from the mid seventies. A succession of book-length collections of new and old appeared. Ueda weathered the death in 1983 of his wife, and continued working well into the 1990s. He died of a heart attack on 4 July 2000.
The Shoji Ueda Museum of Photography ( Ueda Shōji Shashin Bijutsukan), devoted to his works, opened in Kishimoto
(now Hōki
, near Yonago
) Tottori Prefecture in 1995.
, with reproductions of many of Ueda's works.
Sakaiminato, Tottori
is a city in the northern Tottori Prefecture, Japan. At the northern end of Yumigahama Peninsula, it faces the Sea of Japan, another sea Nakaumi and Sakai channel.As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 35,710 and the density of 1,240 persons per km²...
), Tottori. His father was a manufacturer and seller of geta
Geta (footwear)
Geta are a form of traditional Japanese footwear that resemble both clogs and flip-flops. They are a kind of sandal with an elevated wooden base held onto the foot with a fabric thong to keep the foot well above the ground. They are worn with traditional Japanese clothing such as kimono or yukata,...
; Shōji was the only child who survived infancy. The boy received a camera from his father in 1930 and quickly became very involved in photography, submitting his photographs to magazines; his photograph Child on the Beach , Hama no kodomo) appeared in the December issue of Camera
Camera (Japanese magazine)
, or Ars Camera , Arusu Kamera), is one of the older and longer running of Japanese camera magazines. It was published by the company Ars.The first issue of Ars Camera is dated April 1921: predating Asahi Camera by five years...
.
In 1930 Ueda formed the photographic group Chūgoku Shashinka Shūdan with Ryōsuke Ishizu
Ryosuke Ishizu
was a renowned Japanese photographer.-References:...
, Kunio Masaoka
Kunio Masaoka
was a renowned Japanese photographer.-References:...
, and Akira Nomura ; from 1932 till 1937 the group exhibited its works four times at Konishiroku Hall in Nihonbashi
Nihonbashi
, or Nihombashi, is a business district of Chūō, Tokyo, Japan which grew up around the bridge of the same name which has linked two sides of the Nihonbashi River at this site since the 17th century. The first wooden bridge was completed in 1603, and the current bridge made of stone dates from 1911...
, Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
. Ueda studied at the Oriental School of Photography in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
in 1932 and returned to Sakai, opening a studio, Ueda Shashinjō , when only nineteen.
Ueda married in 1935, and his wife helped him to run his photographic studio. His marriage was a happy one; his wife and their three children are recurring models in his works. Ueda was active as an amateur as well as a professional photographer, participating in various groups.
In 1941 Ueda gave up photography, not wanting to become a military photographer. (Toward the end of the war, he was forced to photograph the result of a fire.) He resumed shortly after the war, and in 1947 he joined the Tokyo-based group Ginryūsha.
Ueda found the sand dunes of Tottori excellent backdrops for single and group portraits, typically in square format and until relatively late all in black and white. In 1949, inspired by Kineo Kuwabara
Kineo Kuwabara
was a Japanese editor and photographer, known for photographing Tokyo for over half a century.Kuwabara was born in Tokyo in 1913. He started taking photographs around 1931 with a Vest Pocket Kodak, but his interest increased as a result of an invitation by his neighbor Hiroshi Hamaya to go to a...
, then the editor of Camera
Camera (Japanese magazine)
, or Ars Camera , Arusu Kamera), is one of the older and longer running of Japanese camera magazines. It was published by the company Ars.The first issue of Ars Camera is dated April 1921: predating Asahi Camera by five years...
, Ueda photographed the dunes with Ken Domon
Ken Domon
is one of the most renowned Japanese photographers of the twentieth century. He is most celebrated as a photojournalist, though he may have been most prolific as a photographer of Buddhist temples and statuary....
and Yōichi Midorikawa
Yoichi Midorikawa
is a renowned Japanese photographer.-References:...
. Some of these have Domon as a model, far from his gruff image. The photographs were first published in the September and October 1949 issues of Camera and have been frequently anthologized. Ueda started photographing nudes on the dunes in 1951, and from 1970 he used them as the backdrop for fashion photography.
The postwar concentration on realism led by Domon, followed by the rejection of realism led by Shōmei Tōmatsu
Shomei Tomatsu
is a Japanese photographer.Born Teruaki Tōmatsu in Nagoya in 1930, Tōmatsu studied economics at Aichi University, graduating in 1954. While still a student, he had his photographs published by the major Japanese photography magazines. He entered Iwanami and worked on the series Iwanami Shashin Bunko...
, sidelined Ueda's cool vision. Ueda participated in "Japanese Photography" at the New York Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
in 1960 and had solo exhibitions in Japan, but had to wait till a 1974 retrospective held in the Nikon Salon
Nikon Salon
is the name given to exhibition spaces and activities run by Nikon in Japan.The Ginza Nikon Salon opened in January 1968 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Nippon Kōgaku . This was later augmented by the Shinjuku Nikon Salon and the Osaka Nikon Salon...
in Tokyo and Osaka
Osaka
is a city in the Kansai region of Japan's main island of Honshu, a designated city under the Local Autonomy Law, the capital city of Osaka Prefecture and also the biggest part of Keihanshin area, which is represented by three major cities of Japan, Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe...
before his return to popularity.
Ueda remained based in Tottori, opening a studio and camera shop in Yonago
Yonago, Tottori
is a city located in the northwest of Tottori Prefecture, Japan, facing the Sea of Japan, and adjacent to Shimane. It is the prefecture's second largest city after Tottori and therefore a commercial center of the western part of this prefecture....
in 1965, and in 1972 moving to a new three-storey building in Yonago: Ueda Camera on the first floor, the Charanka coffee shop on the second, and Gallery U on the third. The building served as a base for local photographic life.
From 1975 until 1994, Ueda was a professor at Kyushu Sangyo University
Kyushu Sangyo University
was founded in 1960 in Fukuoka City, and currently has twenty departments and six graduate schools. It is a private university.-Undergraduate Faculties and departments:*Faculty of Economics**Department of Economics*Faculty of Commerce**Department of Commerce...
.
Critical and popular recognition came from the mid seventies. A succession of book-length collections of new and old appeared. Ueda weathered the death in 1983 of his wife, and continued working well into the 1990s. He died of a heart attack on 4 July 2000.
The Shoji Ueda Museum of Photography ( Ueda Shōji Shashin Bijutsukan), devoted to his works, opened in Kishimoto
Kishimoto, Tottori
was a town in Saihaku District, Tottori, Japan.On January 1, 2005 Kishimoto was merged with the town of Mizokuchi, from Hino District, to form the new town of Hōki, in Saihaku District....
(now Hōki
Hoki, Tottori
is a town in Saihaku District, Tottori, Japan.Hōki was formed on January 1, 2005 as the result of the merger of the town of Kishimoto, from Saihaku District, and the town of Mizokuchi, from Hino District....
, near Yonago
Yonago, Tottori
is a city located in the northwest of Tottori Prefecture, Japan, facing the Sea of Japan, and adjacent to Shimane. It is the prefecture's second largest city after Tottori and therefore a commercial center of the western part of this prefecture....
) Tottori Prefecture in 1995.
Books of Ueda's works
Den'en no utsushikata . Ars Shashin Bunko 42. Tokyo: Ars, 1940.- San'in no tabi . Text by Shimomura Norio . Gendai Kyōyō Bunko. Tokyo: Shakai Shisō Kenkyūkai Shuppanbu, 1962.
- Izumo no shinwa: Kamigami no furusato: Kamera no kikō . Text by Ueda Masaaki . Tokyo: Tankō Shinsha, 1965.
- Oki: Hito to rekishi . Text by Naramoto Tatsuya (奈良本辰也). Tankō Shinsha, 1967.
- Dōreki / Children the Year Around. Eizō no Gendai 3. Tokyo: Chūōkōronsha, 1971. Black and white photographs, many but not all of which show children, arranged by season. Texts in both Japanese and English.
- Izumo jiryojō . Text by Ishizuka Takatoshi . Tokyo: Asahi Shinbunsha, 1971.
- Shinwa no tabi: Izumo, Hyūga no furusato . Text by Ueda Masaaki et al. Nihon no Furusato Shirīzu. Tokyo: Mainichi Shinbunsha, 1973.
- Izumo . Tokyo: Mainichi Shinbunsha, 1974.
- Ueda Shōji shōryokō shashinchō: Oto no nai kioku . Tokyo: Nippon Camera, 1974.
- Izumo Taisha (出雲大社). Text by Tōno Yoshiaki . Heibonsha Gyararī 24. Tokyo: Heibonsha, 1974.
- Sakyū / Kodomo no shiki / Sand Dunes / Seasons of the Children. Sonorama Shashin Sensho 11. Tokyo: Asahi Sonorama, 1978. With a summary in English in addition to the Japanese text.
- Matsue: Sen kyūhyaku rokujū nen / Matsue. Yonago: San'in Hōsō, 1978. Shin Izumo fudoki / A New Topography of Izumo. Nihon no Bi: Gendai Nihon Shashin Zenshū 5. Tokyo: Shūeisha, 1980. A large-format collection of color photographs of IzumoIzumoIzumo can refer to:* Izumo Province, one of the old provinces of Japan* Izumo, Shimane, a city in former Izumo province* Izumo-taisha, a famous Shinto shrine in Izumo city...
. Despite the additional English title (provided inconspicuously within the colophon), this book has no captions or text in English. - Ueda Shōji besutan shashinchō: Shiroi kaze / Brilliant Scenes. Tokyo: Nippon Camera, 1981. ISBN 4-8179-2003-3. Ueda Shōji . Shōwa Shashin Zen-shigoto 10. Tokyo: Asahi Shinbunsha. 1983.
- Kidō kaiki / Shoji Ueda Polaroid 35m/m Photo Album. 3 vols. Self published, 1986.
- Sakyū: Ueda Shōji shashinshū / Dunes. Tokyo: Parco, 1986. ISBN 4-89194-129-4.
- Shoji Ueda: Fotografien 1930–1986. Bremen: Forum Böttcherstrasse Bremen, Museum für Fotografie und Zeitkunst Bremen, 1987.
- Umi kaze yama iro: Shashinshū / The view of Chugokuji. Tokyo: Gyōsei, 1990.
- Fūdohen . ISBN 4-324-02312-3.
- Shizenhen . ISBN 4-324-02312-3.
- Ueda Shōji sakuhinten: Sakyū gekijo . JCII Photo Salon Library 15. Tokyo: JCII Photo Salon, 1992. Catalogue of an exhibition. Ueda Shōji no shashin / Shoji Ueda. Tokyo: Tokyo Station Gallery, 1993. Catalogue of an exhibition held at the Tokyo Station Gallery in July–August 1993. With a very little text in English and French, but captions and much other material in Japanese only.
- Ueda Shōji shashinshū / Shoji Ueda: Photographs. Tokyo: Takarajima-sha, 1995. ISBN 4-7966-1015-4.
- Shoji Ueda Photographs: 1930's–1990's. Kishimoto, Tottori: Shoji Ueda Museum of Photography, 1995.
- Ueda Shōji sakuhinshū . Text by Ikezawa Natsuki (池沢夏樹). Tokyo: Parco, 1995.
- 1. (Hito) tachi . ISBN 4-89194-448-X.
- 2. (Mono) tachi . ISBN 4-89194-449-8.
- Stone Sculpture. Text by Nakaoka Shintarō . Tokyo BeeBooks, 1996. ISBN 4-89615-837-7. "Oku no hosomichi" o yuku . Text by Kuroda Momoko . Shotor Library. Tokyo: Shōgakkan, 1997. ISBN 4-09-343103-5. A lavishly illustrated retracing of the Oku no hosomichiOku no Hosomichi, translated alternately as The Narrow Road to the Deep North and The Narrow Road to the Interior, is a major work by the Japanese poet Matsuo Bashō considered "one of the major texts of classical Japanese literature."...
of Matsuo BashōMatsuo Basho, born , then , was the most famous poet of the Edo period in Japan. During his lifetime, Bashō was recognized for his works in the collaborative haikai no renga form; today, after centuries of commentary, he is recognized as a master of brief and clear haiku...
. Ueda Shōji . Nihon no Shashinka 20. Tokyo: Iwanami Shoten, 1998. ISBN 4-00-008360-0. - Ueda Shōji shashin no sakuhō: Amachua shokun! . Kyoto: Kōrinsha, 1999. ISBN 4-7713-0352-5.
- Shoji Ueda. Collection l'Oiseau rare. Trezelan: Filigranes, 2000. ISBN 2910682722.
- Ueda Shōji Watakushi no shashin sakuhō . Tokyo: TBS Britannica, 2000. ISBN 4-484-00217-5.
- Manazashi no kioku: Dareka no kataware de . Text by Washida Kiyokazu . Tokyo: TBS Britannica, 2000. ISBN 4-484-00414-3.
- Masaharu Fukuyama Portraits, Shoji Ueda Photographs. Kishimoto, Tottori: Shoji Ueda Museum of Photography, 2002. Catalogue of an exhibition held July–September 2002. Two volumes.
- Une ligne subtile: Shoji Ueda, 1913–2000. Lausanne: Musée de l'Elysée; Paris: Maison européenne de la photographie, c2006. ISBN 2884740155.
- Una Línia Subtil: Shoji Ueda 1913-2000. Barcelona: Fundació la Caixa, 2005. ISBN 978-84-7664-786-6. In Catalan and English.
- Una Línea Sutil: Shoji Ueda 1913-2000. Barcelona: Fundació la Caixa, 2005. ISBN 978-84-7664-877-3. In Spanish and English. Ueda Shōji shashinshū: Fukinukeru kaze . Tokyo: Kyūryūdō, 2006. ISBN 4-7630-0606-1
- Ueda Shōji / Ueda Shoji. Hysteric 16. Tokyo: Hysteric Glamour, 2006. (Inconspicuously, Ueda Shōji "chiisai denki" / Ueda Shoji, "Small Biography".) A collection of Ueda's series "Small Biography" , as it appeared in Camera MainichiCamera Mainichiis a Japanese monthly magazine of photography that started in June 1954 and ceased publication in April 1985.As in most mass-market photography magazines, much of the editorial content of Camera Mainichi was devoted to news and reviews of cameras, lenses, and other equipment...
in the 1970s and 1980s. Boku no arubamu / An Album: The Everlasting Story. Tokyo: Kyūryūdō, 2007. ISBN 978-4-7630-0729-2. Despite the alternative title in English, all in Japanese. Photographs circa 1935–50, for the most part previously unpublished, and from prints newly made from Ueda's negatives. Many are of Ueda's wife. - Ueda Shōji no sekai . Corona Books 136. Tokyo: Heibonsha, 2007. ISBN 978-4582634341. Ueda Shōji: Chiisai denki / Small Biography. Hankyū Komyunikēshonzu, 2007. ISBN 978-4484072357. Only in Japanese, despite the alternative title.
Other books with works by Ueda
Ueda Shōji to sono nakama-tachi: 1935–55 . Yonago, Tottori: Yonago City Museum of Art, 1992. Catalogue of an exhibition held in February–March 1992 in Yonago City Museum of ArtYonago City Museum of Art
is a municipal art gallery in Yonago, Tottori Prefecture that opened in 1983.The gallery has a permanent collection of paintings and photographs; the latter is particularly strong for the photographers Teikō Shiotani and Shōji Ueda. It also hosts special exhibitions.The museum is at Nakamachi 12,...
, with reproductions of many of Ueda's works.
- Suihen no kioku: San'yō San'in no shashinka-tachi: Ueda Shōji, Hayashi Tadahiko, Midorikawa Yōichi, Matsumoto Norihiko ten . Onomichi, Hiroshima: Onomichi City Museum of Art, 1999. Catalogue of an exhibition of the works of Ueda, Tadahiko HayashiTadahiko Hayashiwas a Japanese photographer noted for a wide range of work including documentary and portraiture.-Youth and early career:...
, Yōichi MidorikawaYoichi Midorikawais a renowned Japanese photographer.-References:...
and Norihiko MatsumotoNorihiko Matsumotois a renowned Japanese photographer.-References:*Nihon shashinka jiten / 328 Outstanding Japanese Photographers. Kyoto: Tankōsha, 2000. ISBN 4-473-01750-8. Despite the English-language alternative title, all in Japanese....
. - Midorikawa Yōichi to yukari no shashinka-tachi 1938–59 . Okayama: Okayama Prefectural Museum of Art, 2005.
- Yamagishi, Shoji, ed. Japan, a Self-Portrait. New York: International Center of Photography, 1979. ISBN 0933642016 (hard), ISBN 0933642024 paper). Pages 105–110 are devoted to Ueda's work.
- Self-Portrait. Hysteric 2. Tokyo: Hysteric Glamour, 1991. Sengo shashin / Saisei to tenkai / Twelve Photographers in Japan, 1945–55. Yamaguchi: Yamaguchi Prefectural Museum of Art, 1990. Catalogue of an exhibition held in Yamaguchi Prefectural Museum of ArtYamaguchi Prefectural Museum of Art, in Yamaguchi City is the main art gallery of Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan.Opened in 1979, the gallery has a permanent collection, part of which is exhibited at any one time, and also hosts special exhibitions....
. Despite the alternative title in English, almost exclusively in Japanese (although each of the twelve has a potted chronology in English). Twenty-one of Ueda's photographs of people on the Tottori dunes appear on pp. 104–114. - Tachihara Michizō. Ushinawareta yoru ni: Tachihara Michizō shishū . Tokyo: Sanrio, 1975. A poetry collection by Michizō TachiharaTachihara Michizôwas a Japanese poet and architect. He died at age 24 from tuberculosis, before either career could seriously get under way. Michizō struggled to find a way for an urban poet to root himself in traditional customs and still be "modern."...
.
External links
- Shoji Ueda Museum of Photography
- Shoji Ueda Office
- Ono, Philbert. " Ueda Shoji", Photoguide Japan.