Oscar Wilde - 1882.
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Showing posts with label Yukio Mishima. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Yukio Mishima. Show all posts
May 19, 2021
March 26, 2019
Tamotsu Yatō articles/mentions
Young Samurai: Bodybuilders of Japan
mentions
Philip Glass ~ Mishima
Tamotsu Yatō
date & photographer unknown
March 22, 2019
Tamotsu Yato ~ Young Samurai: Bodybuilders of Japan
~
A friend of mine recently received an extraordinary birthday present; it is a first U. S. edition of the images of photographer Tamotsu Yato published by Grove Press, Inc. in 1967.
Suicidal and with family conflict, friends said Yato's first visit to a gay bar in Osaka was in 1956. That was when he met Weatherby. Ten years senior to Yato, Weatherby became lover, benefactor, mentor and promoter in an open relationship as they co-existed with filmmaker Ritchie. It was early in this period that Weatherby encouraged Yato to become a photographer.
After his death, friends discovered Yato’s apartment had been ransacked and the cameras and equipment had disappeared. Only a few negatives and photographs remained. An estranged brother appeared and threatened lawsuits if anybody republished the work.
What has survived exists in two places – Tokyo and San Diego. There was never a reprinting of any of Yato's books. Except for his three books, his work was never publicly shown and the type of men represented within Otoko have disappeared from Japanese society. Nevertheless, Yato maintains a cult following and is cited as a major influence by several male erotic photographers. The pictures he produced are classic.
Tamotsu Yato ~ Young Samurai: Bodybuilders of Japan
photo of book by Styrous®
A friend of mine recently received an extraordinary birthday present; it is a first U. S. edition of the images of photographer Tamotsu Yato published by Grove Press, Inc. in 1967.
Tamotsu Yato ~ Young Samurai: Bodybuilders of Japan
detail photo of page by Styrous®
Entitled, Young Samurai: Bodybuilders of Japan, the book features iconic black-and-white
portraits of over fifty of Japan’s most devoted bodybuilders –
nicknamed a new breed of samurai for their rigorous training and
tirelessly refined figures.
Tamotsu Yato ~ Young Samurai: Bodybuilders of Japan
detail photo of page by Styrous®
It's
not just the images of the bodybuilders that are remarkable but the
construction and binding of the book as well. In addition, the book was
edited by Keizo Aizawa, there is an essay by Hitoshi Tamari and an introduction by the great Japanese writer, actor, film director and bodybuilder, Yukio Mishima who is considered one of the most important Japanese authors of the 20th century, (link below).
Mishima's life was depicted in the 1985 film, Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters; Philip Glass composed the score for the film (links below).
Mishima's life was depicted in the 1985 film, Mishima: A Life in Four Chapters; Philip Glass composed the score for the film (links below).
Tamotsu Yato ~ Young Samurai: Bodybuilders of Japan
photo by Tamotsu Yato
photo of pages by Styrous®
Tamotsu Yato (矢頭 保 Yatō Tamotsu, 1928(?), was a Japanese photographer and occasional actor responsible for pioneering Japanese homoerotic photography and creating iconic black-and-white images of the Japanese male. He was a friend and collaborator of Mishima and film critic Donald Richie as well as a long-term romantic partner of Meredith Weatherby, an expatriate American publisher and translator of Mishima's works into English.
Tamotsu Yato ~ Young Samurai: Bodybuilders of Japan
detail photo of page by Styrous®
Although Yato's work received only a limited public
distribution, it has attained a cult following and has been acknowledged
as a major influence by a number of artists working with male erotica. Graphic artist Sadao Hasegawa remarks in his Paradise Visions:
"Tamotsu Yato achieved fame by creating Otoko, a picture book. He photographed Yukio Mishima, nude. His subjects: traditional, muscular, unsophisticated countryside men, are mostly extinct today. Otoko was valuable because you could see these long-bodied, stout-legged, cropped hair, square-jawed men... Good-bye, men of Nippon!"
Tamotsu Yato ~ Young Samurai: Bodybuilders of Japan
photo of page by Styrous®
Tamotsu Yato published three volumes of photography:
- Young Samurai: Bodybuilders of Japan (1966)
- Naked festival: A Photo-Essay (1969)
- Otoko: Photo-Studies of the Young Japanese Male (1972)
Tamotsu Yato ~ Young Samurai: Bodybuilders of Japan
detail photo of page by Styrous®
Suicidal and with family conflict, friends said Yato's first visit to a gay bar in Osaka was in 1956. That was when he met Weatherby. Ten years senior to Yato, Weatherby became lover, benefactor, mentor and promoter in an open relationship as they co-existed with filmmaker Ritchie. It was early in this period that Weatherby encouraged Yato to become a photographer.
Tamotsu Yato ~ Young Samurai: Bodybuilders of Japan
photo of page by Styrous®
When Yukio Mishima committed seppuku (hara-kiri, a ritualized suicide) in 1970, Weatherby
broke off the relationshjp with Yato. Yato
was exiled to a seedy suburb and his life spiraled into anger, bitterness and
substance abuse. Tamotsu Yato died of an enlarged heart in May, 1973.
Tamotsu Yato ~ Young Samurai: Bodybuilders of Japan
photo of book back cover by Styrous®
After his death, friends discovered Yato’s apartment had been ransacked and the cameras and equipment had disappeared. Only a few negatives and photographs remained. An estranged brother appeared and threatened lawsuits if anybody republished the work.
What has survived exists in two places – Tokyo and San Diego. There was never a reprinting of any of Yato's books. Except for his three books, his work was never publicly shown and the type of men represented within Otoko have disappeared from Japanese society. Nevertheless, Yato maintains a cult following and is cited as a major influence by several male erotic photographers. The pictures he produced are classic.
Tamotsu Yato ~ Young Samurai: Bodybuilders of Japan
photos by Tamotsu Yato
photo of book by Styrous®
Viewfinder links:
Net links:
5election ~ The Born [Birth] Of Homoerotic Photography In 60s Japan
Steve Clark ~ The homoerotic art of Tamotsu Yato
Steve Clark ~ The homoerotic art of Tamotsu Yato
September 21, 2017
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