The Sankei Shimbun, one of Japan's leading newspapers, sent a writer and photographer on a tour of the Middle East in 1962. What happened to the rest of their work during this period is not documented, but the photos of Dubai survived. For reasons unexplained, photographer Yoshio Kawashima did not, as per company policy, turn over his negatives, but kept them for himself. Forty years later he found them in storage and presented them to the Dubai Tourism office in Tokyo, Japan. The tourism official afterwards showed the photos to one of the ruling Sheikhs, who on learning that the reporters were still alive invited them to a return visit to Dubai. This is turn lead to an exhibit of the photograph collection and the publication of this book.
The images here are priceless, a glimpse into a world not far in time, but certainly long gone. Included here are photos of the Sharjah airport, panoramas of the Creek and other areas of town, a day at the Ruler’s Court, snapshots of life in the market, and perhaps most unusual for this period images of a traditional wedding. Kawashima is an able photographer, but the historical value of the images is far greater than any artistic merit.
Also included is the story of Abdullah Kamal, the merchant who lived in prewar Japan, spoke fluent Japanese, and served as Kawashima’s interpreter in 1962, as well as photos from the 2008 Dubai exhibit of these images.
#
No comments:
Post a Comment