Ichiro Kojima, “Near Inagaki, Tsugaru”, 1960, Gelatin Silver Print

Born and raised in the northern city of Aomori, Kojima was the eldest son in a family that ran a toy and photographic supply store. He learned photography under the influence of his father, and began to publish his work in photography magazines. His subjects were everyday landscapes on the Tsugaru and Shimokita peninsulas, but his work stood apart from the mainstream realism of that era and soon gained notice for its compositional and poetic sensibilities.

With strong encouragement from the pioneer photojournalist Yonosuke Natori, Kojima mounted his first exhibition, ‘Tsugaru’, in Tokyo in 1958. Following this strong start, he moved to Tokyo in 1961 to pursue a career as a professional photographer. There he held his second exhibition, ‘Freezing’. However, having emerged on the scene with photographs of his home country, he now faced great difficulty making photographs in a new environment.

After the death of Natori, his main supporter in Tokyo, Kojima returned to Aomori. He embarked on a new project in Hokkaido, but he feel ill after repeated exposure to severe conditions and died at the early age of thirty-nine.