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.

Annaka, Gunma Prefecture
Suda Issei
1976
Gelatin silver print
2000.613
Miura Peninsula, Kanagawa Prefecture
Suda Issei
1975
Gelatin silver print
2009.471
Chiba Prefecture
Suda Issei
1976–78
Gelatin silver print
2001.10
Chiba Prefecture
Suda Issei
1976–1978
Gelatin silver print
99.340
Trance
Suda Issei
1992, printed 1994
Gelatin silver print
2001.11
Ginzan Onsen, Obanazawa, Yamagata Pref.
Suda Issei
1976, printed 1999
Gelatin silver print
99.526
Suda House
c. 1979
Photographic process on fabric
91.1595.8.A,.B
Calligraphy Screen
Suda Kokuta
1986
Single three-panel folding screen; ink on paper
EX.2023.NW.105
Rice Harvesting, Yamagata Prefecture
Hiroshi Hamaya
1955
Gelatin silver print
2000.652
Saito City, Miyazaki Prefecture
Toshio Shibata
1990
Gelatin silver print
93.304
Shiiba Village, Miyazaki Prefecture
Toshio Shibata
1990
Gelatin silver print
2018.439
Yunotani Village, Nigata Prefecture
Toshio Shibata
1987
Gelatin silver print
94.804