10-11 Profile of Judges

Mr.Hiromi Tsuchida

Born 1939, in Fukui Prefecture.

Graduated from the Faculty of Engineering, University of Fukui.

Affiliate Professor at the Osaka University of Arts.

In 1971, the same year he began his career as a photographer, Mr. Tsuchida received the 8th Annual Taiyo Magazine Award.

In 1976, he turned his focus on Japanese folk nature and published "Zokushin". Receiving good reviews, he continued to show his work abroad in places such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and Centre Pompidou in Paris. Afterwards, he expanded the object of his photography to the city and held a one-man show, "Suna wo Kazoeru" (Counting Grains of Sand), showcasing works capturing crowds of people in the most minute of detail (1978, 1985).

In addition, he received the Nobuo Ina Award for his work confronting Hiroshima that he began in 1974 entitled "Hiroshima 1945-1979". Since then, he has continued with such works as "Hiroshima Monument" and "Hiroshima Collection".

From around 1995, he switched from silver halide photography to digital data and held an exhibition to showcase his works, "The Berlin Wall" (1999), "Shin Suna wo Kazoeru" (New Counting the Grains) (2002), and "Fake Scape" (2002).

In 2007, "Tsuchida Hiromi no Nippon" (Hiromi Tsuchida's Japan) was held at the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography where he was presented with the 27th Annual Ken Domon Award.

His works can be found in the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the French National Library in Paris, the National Museum of Modern Art in Canada, the European Photography Center, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, and the J. Paul Getty Museum.

Visit Mr. Tsuchida's website at (in Japanese only):

http://www.hiromi-t.com/

Mr.Teruo Sekiguchi

Born 1938, in Tokyo.

Graduated from Meiji University.

Affiliate Professor at Kurashiki University of Science and the Arts.

Mr. Sekiguchi is a freelance photographer who is involved mainly with commercials, magazines, and photography books. He also appears on a number of TV shows as a guest commentator. Motivated by a TV program that covered distant lands, he began his life work of collecting data on the many different regions of the world.

His photo collections include: "Hi no Latido" (Fire Pulse), "Zen no Performance "(Table Performance), Photography book of Yuko Natori, "Jo no Mai" (Introduction Dance), Photography book of Rino Katase, "Day for Night", Collaborations with Keiko Takeshita, "Hello Plus One" and "Welcome to Our Family", "The Earth's Little Miracles photography book", and more. He also directed "Eden", a documentary movie on the Ogasawara islands.

Ms.Yoshino Oishi

Born in Tokyo.

Graduated from the Photography Department of Nihon University College of Art.

Professor at Tokyo Polytechnic University.

Profoundly influenced by Vietnam after visiting there during her school days, she began her career as a freelance documentary photographer immediately after graduating from the university to cover Asia, West Africa and Europe by herself. With the greatest consideration and respect, she has maintained photographic journals of people who have suffered the hardships of war and/or strife. She has also been distinguished by many awards such as the Encouragement Prize from the Japan Congress of Journalists, and the new artist award selected by the Minister of Education (MEXT) for the Art Encouragement Prize. She was awarded the 20th Ken Domon award for her work entitled "Vietnam After The War".

Mr.Sanjiro Minamikawa

Born 1945, in Mie Prefecture.

Graduated from Tokyo University of Photography (now known as Tokyo Polytechnic University).

Focusing on the people and culture of Europe, he presents his work to the domestic and overseas magazine media. He does all planning, shooting, and writing by himself and his major works include "Atelier no Kyosho 100 nin"(100 Artists in their Atelier), published by Shinchosha Publishing Co., Ltd.,a photo collection of artists from the second half of the twentieth century such as Miro, Dali, Chirico,Chagall and their ateliers, as well as "Suiri Sakka no Hassou Kobo"(the Idea Workshop of Mystery Writers), published by Bungeishunju Ltd., which is a collection of photos of western mystery writers such as Graham Greene, Ed McBain, Frederick Forsyth and their study rooms.

His "Ikon no Michi"(The Icon Road), which documents the influences of Byzantine culture, was serialized for a year in the Kateigaho magazine. In "Chateau de Versailles", a collection of works depicting the World Heritage Site of the Palace of Versailles, he became the first foreign citizen other than a French national to obtain permission to photograph the venue. Both of these collections were exhibited at the Wako Hall located in Ginza, Tokyo. He has also taken photographs in recent years of two pilgrimage routes, the Kumano Kodo in Japan and Camino de Santiago in Spain, both of which are certified as World Heritage Sites. In addition, he has held a photo exhibition entitled "Nichi Oh Junrei no Michi"(the Pilgrimage Roads of Japan and Europe) and has also authored many books.

He has visited a total of thirty countries around the world, and interviewed more than five -hundred people.

Visit Mr. Minamikawa's website at (in Japanese only):

http://www.s-minamikawa.com/

Mr.Hideo Suzuki

Born in Tokyo.

Graduated from the Tokyo Polytechnic University (formerly the Tokyo College of Photography).

Before establishing the photography advertising agency, Pointer Co. Ltd., Suzuki was employed at Hakuhodo the advertising agency (photography department) for 10 years.

Suzuki has been the recipient of numerous awards including the Mainichi Advertising Public Advertisement Grand Prix Award, Japan Advertising Photographers' Association (APA) Choice Award, Asahi Advertising Award, Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry Advertising Award, JR Poster Grand Prix Award, New York Design Winner's Award, APA's "Beautiful Japan" Award 2009 and the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry Newspaper Division Award 2010.

Suzuki's versatility allows for a range of applications in his photographic career including, product, food and celebrity photography. His images appear on calendars, posters, magazines advertisements and airline advertising campaigns. Suzuki is often specifically requested by celebrities and also shoots for movie studio calendars.

Suzuki's career includes many dramatic assignments including shooting on a 3000 meter high French mountain-top for bottled water "Evian", braving the mountainous regions of Thailand to capture images of the red pepper harvest for the convenience store "Family Mart" and taking aerial shots from a helicopter of cars on the road for the German auto-maker "Audi".

Mr.Hiroshi Osaka

Born 1956, in Yamagata Prefecture.

Graduated from the Photography Department of Nihon University College of Art.

Mr. Osaka has received many awards including the JPS Exhibition Encouraging Prize (1978), the APA International Convention EUROPHOTO award (1978), the JPS Exhibition Grand Prix (1982 and 1984), The Photographic Society of Japan Newcomer Award (1985), among others.

In addition to his major works entitled "Syzygy" and "Venus, Vegetal", he holds a series of one-man shows domestically and abroad including an exhibit entitled "botanic heart", which projects upon the inner self a view of life through flowers, using the planar-perspective method found in Japanese woodblock prints or maki-e (gold/silver) lacquer. His works are on permanent collection at museums such as the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, The National Museum of Modern Art — Kyoto, Photography Department of Nihon University College of Art, Polaroid Japan, Petit Musee (Tokyo), Polaroid International (USA), MFAH: The Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (USA), and the Graham Nash Collection (USA).

Visit Mr. Osaka's website at (in Japanese only):

http://www.geocities.jp/hiroshiosaka/