Suda Issei
Nishimonai, Akita Prefecture

Nishimonai, Akita Prefecture
Nishimonai, Akita Prefecture
Nishimonai, Akita Prefecture
ArtistJapanese, 1940–2019
CultureJapanese
Titles
  • Nishimonai, Akita Prefecture
  • from the series Fushi Kaden
Date1975
PlaceJapan
MediumGelatin silver print
DimensionsImage: 13 3/4 × 13 3/4 in. (34.9 × 34.9 cm)
Sheet: 20 × 15 15/16 in. (50.8 × 40.5 cm)
Credit LineMuseum purchase funded by Morris Weiner
Object number2001.362
Not on view

Explore Further

Department
Photography
Object Type
Description

The mysterious subject of Issei Suda’s photograph is an
elegantly attired Nishimonai Bon dancer, a participant in a yearly “dance with
the spirits of the dead.” With a history stretching back over 700 years, the
dance pays respect to one’s ancestors and to the past, with dancers performing
with hoods or hats covering their faces. In his photographic work, Suda was
wholly focused on documenting the tension between Japan’s traditions and its
changing culture, making this modern black-and-white portrait of a dancer
calling upon the past an ideal subject.




Provenance[Zeit-Foto Co., Ltd., Tokyo]; purchased by MFAH, 2001.
Inscriptions, Signatures and Marks
Signed and titled (?) in pencil on verso lower right in Japanese characters
Dated in pencil on verso together with Japanese characters "1976...©..."

Cataloguing data may change with further research.

If you have questions about this work of art or the MFAH Online Collection please contact us.

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1987
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1990
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1939
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