KAI Fusayoshi Collotype Limited Editions / Galerie Miyawaki, Kyoto, Japan
KAI Fusayoshi Photography
Collotype Limited Editions
published by
Galerie Miyawaki, Kyoto, Japan
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Introductions
Concept of the project and KAI's biographical notes
The vintage prints of Kai Fusayoshi have become extremely rare and difficult to obtain. Many prints and negatives were destroyed in the Honyarado fire in 2015. Making the preservation of surviving works by Kai a pressing matter in the history of photography. These collotype limited editions are part of a project aimed at selecting masterpieces from the increasingly acclaimed photography of Kai Fusayoshi in recent years, with the hope of allowing as many people as possible to cherish these captivating works. Collotype is a photographic printing technique that was invented in France in the mid-19th century. It is characterized by its smooth tonal gradation, deep texture, and strong durability achieved through the use of pigment inks. For this edition, Kai Fusayoshi himself carefully supervised the plate-making process, and the prints were meticulously crafted by skilled artisans at Benrido. The photographic prints, created using the unique texture of collotype, breathe new life into the imagery of KAI’s works.
(Galerie Miyawaki)
We are pleased to announce the release of the ‘Kai Fusayoshi Collotype Limited Edition. Many of Kai Fusayoshi’s prints and negatives were lost in the Honyarado fire in 2015. Benrido’s collotype technique is employed in the reproduction of national treasures and cultural heritage, using primarily natural materials for the paper and ink, resulting in exceptional durability, colorfastness, and fidelity. It is with the desire to revive Kai Fusayoshi’s photographic works and preserve them for future generations that this project was initiated. In this release, we are offering a limited quantity of four carefully selected pieces from Kai Fusayoshi’s children’s photography. We plan to continue with future series expansions. The proceeds will be used as funding for the preservation of Kai’s remaining prints and negatives, as well as to secure a location for the archive.
(Honyarado Restoration Project Team)
KAI Fusayoshi; Photographer, writer, proprietor of Bar Hachimonjiya, born 1949 in Oita Pref. Began taking photos at age eleven. Withdrawing from Politic studies at Doshisha University in 1968, Kai has been actively photographing city life in Kyoto for fifty years. His acclaimed images of “everything Kyoto”—children, old people, local beauties, roji alleys, changing lifestyles and cityscapes. From 1972, Kai devoted himself to making the coffeehouse Honyarado a Kyoto landmark, and in 1977 published his first photobook Kyoto Demachi about the neighbourhood. In 1978, he held a solo show at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, U.S.A., and in 1985 he opened Bar Hachimonjiya, which soon became a hangout for regulars on the Kyoto cultural scene. Since the 1990s, he has contributed regular columns to the Kyoto Shimbun newspaper, and Among his over 40 publications are the photobooks Alleys of Kyoto, Beautiful Women in Kyoto, Children of Kyoto and Cats of Kyoto. Kai is a recipient of the 2009 Kyoto Art and Culture Award, the Société des Beaux-Arts 2014 Jean Larivière Prix, and 2022 Kyoto Prefecture Culture Distinguished Service Award.
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