Tamotsu Yato’s men with katanas

yato1.jpg

Unidentified model from Otoko (1972).

Two photos by Tamotsu Yato (c. 1928–1973), a pioneer of homoerotic photography in Japan who published his work in three collections: Young Samurai: Bodybuilders of Japan (1967), Naked festival: A Photo-Essay (1969), and Otoko: Photo-Studies of the Young Japanese Male (1972). Yukio Mishima introduced the first two volumes, and also appeared in the first posing with a sword. The third book was dedicated to Mishima’s memory. This site has a selection from each of the books while Richard Hawkins’ site has a fascinating overview of the photographer’s life and work. Via Form is Void.

yato2.jpg

Yukio Mishima from Young Samurai: Bodybuilders of Japan (1967).

Elsewhere on { feuilleton }
The men with swords archive

Previously on { feuilleton }
Forbidden Colours
Mishima’s Rite of Love and Death

One thought on “Tamotsu Yato’s men with katanas”

  1. I just LOVE these photos!

    The Hawkins site is indeed fascinating. Thanks for pointing it out! One of my favorite lines: “His head is tilted to the left simply because his prick tilts to the right. That’s why.”

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