Seiryū Inoue

Who was Seiryū Inoue?

Seiryū Inoue was a renowned Japanese photographer.

Born in 1931 in Tosa, Kōchi Prefecture, Inoue became the first apprentice to Takeji Iwamiya in Osaka in 1951. While continuing to work with Iwamiya in 1954 he started work as temporary cameraman for Asahi Broadcasting Corporation in Osaka.

Iwamiya recognized his talent and from 1958 encouraged the young Inoue to roam the streets of Kamagasaki in Nishinari-ku, Osaka, permitting him to develop his private work in the studio darkroom. During the 1950s Inoue developed a reputation as a young documentary photographer. In 1959 he was a prizewinner in the Fuji Photo Film Contest Professional Section. In Tokyo during May 1960 he held his first solo exhibition, "The Hundred Faces of Kamagasaki" and received in 1961 the Newcomer's Award from the Japan Photography Critics' Association. Also in 1961 "The Hundred Faces of Kamagasaki" was awarded Newcomer Prize by Camera Geijutsu magazine.

In 1959 Daidō Moriyama joined Iwamiya's studio before moving to Tokyo in 1961. Moriyama credits Inoue with setting him on the road to photography and as being highly influential in developing his photographic style.