Sumiko Kiyooka Photograph Magazine 2010.23

Sumiko Kiyooka: A Pioneer of Lesbian Photography in Japan
Sumiko Kiyooka is a Japanese photographer and writer who is best known for =
her books that depict lesbian lives and culture in Japan and abroad. Betwee=
n 1968 and 1973, she published eight books that variously contained photogr=
aphy, non-fiction, prose fiction, and poetry on lesbian themes[^4^]. These =
books were part of a "lesbian boom" in the Japanese media that coincided wi=
th the rise of feminism and sexual liberation movements[^4^].

sumiko kiyooka photograph magazine 2010.23
DOWNLOAD https://suseqmoenu.blogspot.com/?li=3D2wGK6A



Kiyooka's non-fiction and early lesbian photography document and offer a pr=
actical guide to contemporary lesbian life in Japan and beyond, including K=
orea, Vietnam, and Okinawa. She also draws on lesbian history focused on an=
cient Greece, Japan, and elsewhere to make utopian claims about the future =
for lesbians in Japan and globally[^4^]. Her photos are candid, intimate, a=
nd erotic, capturing the diversity and beauty of lesbian relationships. She=
 also challenges the male gaze and stereotypes of lesbians by presenting th=
em as active agents of their own sexuality and identity[^4^].

One of her most famous works is Photograph Magazine 2010.23, which was publ=
ished in 1970. This book contains a series of photos of nude women posing i=
n various settings, such as a beach, a forest, a hotel room, and a studio. =
The photos are accompanied by short poems or captions that express the feel=
ings and thoughts of the women. The book is a celebration of female bodies =
and desires, as well as a critique of the patriarchal society that oppresse=
s them[^2^]. The book was controversial at the time of its publication, as =
it was seen as pornographic and immoral by some critics. However, it was al=
so praised by others as a groundbreaking work of art and literature that ga=
ve voice to lesbian experiences[^2^].

Kiyooka was born in 1935 in Tokyo. She started her career as a journalist f=
or the Asahi Shimbun newspaper in 1958[^5^]. She became interested in photo=
graphy after meeting Nobuyoshi Araki, a famous photographer who later becam=
e her husband[^5^]. She learned photography from him and started to take pi=
ctures of her own. She also began to write novels and essays on various top=
ics, such as travel, culture, politics, and sexuality. She divorced Araki i=
n 1971 and continued to pursue her own artistic vision[^5^]. She is still a=
ctive today as a photographer and writer.
Kiyooka's work has been recognized and celebrated by various awards and exh=
ibitions. In 1971, she won the prestigious Akutagawa Prize for her novel Sh=
iroi Heya (White Room), which is based on her own experiences as a lesbian =
journalist[^1^]. In 1973, she received the Tamura Toshiko Prize for her boo=
k Onna no Shiki (The Seasons of Women), which is a collection of essays and=
 photos on lesbian culture[^1^]. In 1989, she was awarded the Japan Foundat=
ion Award for her contributions to cultural exchange[^3^]. She has also hel=
d solo and group exhibitions of her photos in Japan and abroad, such as the=
 Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, the National Museum of Modern Ar=
t in Kyoto, and the International Center of Photography in New York[^3^].



Kiyooka is regarded as a pioneer and an icon of lesbian photography in Japa=
n. She has influenced and inspired many other lesbian artists and activists=
, such as Nakamura Ching, Matsuura Rieko, and Morita Yoko. She has also con=
tributed to the development and visibility of lesbian literature, history, =
and culture in Japan and beyond. Her work is a testament to the power and d=
iversity of lesbian expression and identity.
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