Photography was introduced to Japan by foreigners in the new era of openness in the mid-nineteenth century, and has taken an enormous flight. Throughout the last one and a half century Western photographers have continued to travel to Japan and some have also left their marks. The pictorialist movement for instance was introduced in the early twentieth century. William Klein and Ed van der Elsken count as strong influences on photographers like Daido Moriyama. But on the other hand Western photographers keep on coming to Japan to be inspired themselves. The distinct nature and culture in all it's guises are thankful subjects and have led to many interpretations, from the picturesque and tranquil to the wild and weird. IBASHO is proud to present a different perspective on Japan through the Western eyes of photographers such as Ed van der Elsken, William Klein, Marc Riboud and Henri Cartier-Bresson, and many more.
