Kazuo KITAI

Kazuo Kitai, born in China in 1944, is best known for his protest photography of the 1960s and 1970s. He earned the prestigious Ihei Kimura Memorial Award for Photography for his work “Mura-e”, a year-long documentation of Japan’s rural life. In the 1980s, he concerned himself with the citizens of Osaka and Tokyo (”Shinsekai Monogatari”, “Funabashi Monogatari”). Recent years have seen him publish a regular column in Nippon Camera magazine (”Walking with Leica”) as well as a rise of public interest in his work both in Japan and overseas.

Chronology

1944 - Born in Anshan, China
1965 - Leaves Nihon University College of Art after 6 months
1965 - Photography book - “Teiko” (self-published, later Mirai-sha Press)
1971 - Photography book - “Sanrizuka” (Nora-sha)
1972 - Award - Newcomer’s Award from The Photographic Society of Japan, for his work “Sanrizuka”
1975-77 “Mura-e” is published as a series in Asahi Camera magazine
1977 - Award - Ihei Kimura Memorial Award for Photography, for his work “Mura-e”
1978 - Exhibition - “Mura-e”
1979 - “The Journey into German Exressionism” is published as a series in Asahi Camera Magazine
1981 - Photography book - “Shinsekai Monogatari” (Choueisha)
1987 - Exhibition - “Funabashi Story”
1990 - Photography book - “Itsuka Mita Fukei” (Sokyu-sha)
1994 - Photography book - “Otenki” (Terajima-sha)
2001 - Photography book - “1970 Nendai Nippon” (Tosei-sha)
2001 - Photography book - “1990 Nendai Beijing” (Tosei-sha)
2004 - Exhibition - “Time Tunnel Series: The Times and Form of Photography”
2006 - Photography Book - “80’s Funabashi Story” (Tosei-sha)
2009 - Exhibition - “Walking with Leica 1”
2010 - Exhibition - “Walking with Leica 2”
2010 - Exhibition - “Spanish Night”
2010 - Exhibition - “China 1973”
2011 - Exhibition - “Walking with Leica 3”
2011 - Exhibition - “Barricade”
2011 - Exhibition - “Mura-e”
2011 - Exhibition - “Kobe Dockers”
2011 - Exhibition - “Somehow Familiar Places”

See all