Sado Takeji Iwamiya

This photo book by Japanese photographer Iwamiya Takeji was published in 1977 as the second issue of the Asahi Sonorama Photo Selection Series.

Takeji Iwamiya was a photographer who worked mainly in Osaka. He is known for his honest and refined compositions that capture elements of Japanese architecture such as roofing tiles, window lattices, and rock gardens, as well as the beauty inherent in ancient Japanese traditions such as the tea ceremony, as well as landscapes that change with the seasons and the lives of the people who live there. In his later years, he also became interested in haiku, ink painting, and silkscreen printing.

Iwamiya was also the person who inspired Moriyama Daido, who was working as a graphic designer in Osaka, to become a photographer; Moriyama served as Iwamiya's assistant from 1959 to 1961.

Iwamiya also wrote a letter of introduction when Moriyama visited VIVO, the self-employed agency founded by Eikoh Hosoe, Shomei Tomatsu, and Kikuji Kawada in 1961. Although VIVO had already disbanded by the time of Moriyama's visit, Moriyama began working as an assistant to one of the agency's members, Eikoh Hosoe, in 1962.

Iwamiya's presence has therefore played a major role in Moriyama's life.

This book collects photographs taken on Sado Island in Niigata Prefecture, a place Iwamiya visited many times on his own.

These photographs are not just a one-time visit, but rather multiple times in different seasons, allowing for a wide range of subjects to be captured. They go beyond simply documenting the island and the lives of the people who live there; one can also sense Iwamiya's characteristic interest in tools related to fishing, one of the island's important industries, and kites, a children's plaything.