Chikashi Kasai: Photographer

Chikashi Kasai was born in Japan in 1970[1]. He began his photo career "after participating Photography Workshop "Corpus" fifth term in 1993 and International Summer Academy of Fine Arts/photography program in Austria and Saszburg in 1994[1]." He has made publications featuring his own photography; Tokyo Dance (1997), "Danse Double" (1997) and "Wave" (2001). He is a Tama Art University Graduate[2].

Tokyo Dance by Chikashi Kasai (book cover)

Copyright 2008 Chikashi Kasai

Kasai photographs various things mainly in Japan. The contents of his work ranges from landscape to sexual suggestive photographs. I feel that his work presents Japan from a different angle, than the stereotypical representations of Japan. Looking through his website and the collections that he has place on the site, his pictures show a very different side of Japan. From a photographic composition point of view, the angles Kasai uses creates two or more different moods at once. For example the Picture above (the opening picture to Kasai's website) gives a sense of wonder through the slanted angle, but also creates a sense of optimism through the light to dark ratio.

Personally, I find Kasai's work very refreshing. Considering most Japanese people I have encountered, there is a sense of self restraint among them. In fact, this self restraint is built right into the language itself. Through the passive voice can Japanese people express their feelings, without being considered "rude," (Miyama 2007, Riggs 2008, Matsumoto 2009, & Sakibara 2009)[3]. Some of Kasai's work show a more private view of life that is usually kept hidden. However, the amount of "private" life pictures, the more pornographic pictures are not what I, personally, find beautiful or "art." I personally love the composition of his landscape photography, each of his landscape pictures seem well thought out and clear, whereas his pictures with nudity seem more blurry, suggesting a spur of the moment feeling. Though, in my opinion, both life and photography are interesting when done at spur of the moment, it is the time we take to stop, set, and reflect on certain aspects of life which make it "beautiful."

I chose Kasai to report on because his sense of photography is one I can relate to, both spur of the moment and planned. I recommend all to visit his site. Though his own notes and blogs are in Japanese, the access to his pictures are easy and some are in English.

Footnotes:
1. http://www.gs-s.info/2007/text/prorile_kasai.html

2. http://www.photojpn.org/books/theme/kasai.html

3.

Names mentioned were all of my own Japanese Language Teachers, who were all born and raised in Japan, of Japanese descent, and lived in Japan for more than 25 years each.

http://www.kasaichikashi.com/ (Chikashi Kasai's own website) (WARNING: Mostly, IN JAPANESE)