Japanese Man with Tattoo by Kimbei sla ripe fruit

ripe fruit

while the architectural geometry of the shrine anchors an otherwise atmospheric landscape

Marra handles the tension between geometric surface and expressive face with ease — the result is graphic

the subtle ink layering

Japanese Man with Tattoo by Kimbei sla ripe fruitThis hand coloured albumen print by Kusakabe Kimbei documents a tattooed man in the Meiji period with the careful attention to detail that defined the best Yokohama photography studios. The subject is photographed close and frontally, his full body tattooing filling the frame a deliberate choice that treats the tattoo as the primary subject, as much artwork as the photograph itself. Kimbei's hand colouring adds warmth and depth to the image, softening