Tsuneko Sasamoto is a very special person. At twenty-five she was the first Japanese woman who made a career as a photographer. For many years she kept working as a photo journalist and documenting Japan before and after the war. This September she turned 101 years old, which, however, doesn’t prevent her from taking pictures still.
Sasamoto in her 20s
Sasamoto at the age of 97
As reported on the Japanese news site NHK Online, Sasamoto is currently working on a compilation of the best pictures she shot in her 70 years long career as a photo journalist. At the same time she’s said to be working on another photo project titled “Hana Akari” (“the shimmer of blooming cherry blossoms at night” in English). She dedicates this particular project to all her friends who have already passed away.
Below you can see the cover of the last photo book she published in 2011 at the age of 97.
In the following video you can see some pictures from this book. Below I’ve attached the promotional video which was released along with the book.
And last but not least a 4-minute news coverage by NHK World on Sasamoto’s photo exhibition last year in celebration of her 100th birthday.
