is a Japanese

Japanese people

The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...

 photographer known for his large-format photographs of large-scale works of civil engineering

Civil engineering

Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...

 in unpopulated landscapes.

Shibata was born 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...

. He graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts with a B.A. in 1972 and an M.F.A. in 1974 in which he concentrated primarily on painting. Shibata received a fellowship from the Belgian Ministry of Education to study at the Royal Academy of Ghent

Royal Academy of Fine Arts (Ghent)

The Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Ghent is one of the oldest art schools in Belgium, now part of the Hogeschool Gent.The Academy was founded in 1741 as a private school in the home of Philippe Karel Marissal, and provided a royal charter in 1771 by empress Maria Theresa of Austria...

 in Belgium from 1975 to 1977 and begin his study of photography during this period. He held his first solo exhibition of photography in 1979 and has exhibited prolifically since; from 1987 he has also taught photography in Tokyo.

Awards

• 1975, 1976
  • Fellowship, Ministry of Education, Belgium
• 1992
  • The 17th Kimura Ihei Award
    Kimura Ihei Award
    The is a Japanese photographic award that attracts the attention of the mass media and book-buyers.The award has been given every year since 1975 by the Asahi Shimbun Company, publisher of Asahi Shimbun and the magazine Asahi Camera, in honor of the photographer Ihei Kimura...
    
    , Asahi Shimbun Publishing Co.

Books

• Nihon tenkei / Photographs by Toshio Shibata. Tokyo: Asahi Shinbunsha, 1992. ISBN 402256508X.
• With Yoshio Nakamura . Tera: Sōkei suru daichi: Shashinshū / Terra. Tokyo: Toshi Shuppan, 1994. ISBN 4924831123.
• Landscape. Tucson, Ariz.: Nazraeli, 1996. ISBN 3923922469.
• Toshio Shibata: October 11, 1997 through January 4, 1998. Chicago: Museum of Contemporary Art, 1997. ISBN 0933856512.
• Shibata Toshio Visions of Japan. Kyoto: Korinsha, 1998. ISBN 4771328056.
• Type 55. Tucson, Ariz.: Nazraeli, 2004. ISBN 1590050754.
• Dam. Nazraeli, 2004. ISBN 1590050819.
• Juxtapose. Kamakura, Kanagawa: Kamakura Gallery, 2005.
• Landscape 2. Portland, Ore.: Nazraeli, 2008. ISBN 9781590052389. Color photographs.
• Still in the Night. Koganei, Tokyo: Soh Gallery, 2008. Black and white night views, 1982–86 of expressways in Japan. Captions and text in Japanese and English.
• Randosukēpu: Shibata Toshio . Tokyo: Ryokō Yomiuri Shuppansha, 2008. ISBN 9784897522852. Black and white and color photographs.