Bruce Osborn: Oyako - Portraying Japanese Generations

24 Jan 2007 Category: Events & Exhibitions, Features, Japan, Photography, Worldwide

Bruce Osborn: Oyako - Portraying Japanese Generations

The old and the new Japan in one frame: Parent Yujiro Nakamura, a theater group leader, with his child Rika Matsumoto, an acting school student. Bruce Osbron took this picture in 1984 to show the delicate relationship of Okyako, parent and child, and let us take a glimpse into Japanese society.

There surely are extensive sociological studies of the Japanese society: figures, numbers, tiny print on countless pages and lots of dry charts, too. But what about a more artistic, visual approach? In 1982 American photographer Bruce Osborn began what has become his lifelong work: the Oyako series. For the last 25 years he took pictures of one parent with one child in a white studio setting. Bruce even introduced its own version of the Japanese “Oyako No Hi” (parent and child) day: he organizes a huge photo session every year. After some time, Bruce would even repeat the same parent-child shoot to reveal the significant changes in the relationship between mother and daughter for example, the differing characteristics of fashion changing over the years or simply documenting people getting older. A part of Bruce’s huge archive is currently shown at the JCII Camera Museum in Tokyo until this Sunday, the 28th (more info below). PingMag talked with Bruce Osborn about his devotion for Oyako, the Japanese parent and child.

From 1982 to 2003: Parent Yae Nakano, housewife, with child Shigeru Nakano, musician. Bruce: “The son’s Punk band used to be called Anarchy, now it is under his own name. The Punk band members used to wear the railroad workers’ uniforms on stage, because that was the job of Shigeru’s father. And the audience used to wear it, too. That was such an energy. People thought of Anarchy as a scary thing but here we see the mother being the biggest fan of her son, totally into his Punk music and going to every concert.”

Written by Verena

The parent Yozo Suenaga was a pet shop owner - the child Mai Momonoki was a porno actress at that time! Bruce: “I first saw her on TV as she was introducing her family. At one point the father got really into it and started writing screenplays for porno movies…” The picture is taken 1984.

From 1984 to 2000: Back in 1984 the father Mitsunari Kida was a former sumo wrestler, the child Tsuyoshi Kida a preschool student. By 2000 the parent has become a chanko (sumo wrestlers’ stew) restaurant owner, whereas the child Tsuyoshi Kida turned out to be a sumo wrestler himself. Bruce: “Another 16 years later suddenly the child had become a sumo wrestler. By now the son has retired, too and they both run the same restaurant.”

Bruce, how did it all start with your Oyako portraits in 1982?

For once I had an assignment for a music magazine to shoot some musicians where I could be completely free to do what I wanted. With musicians, usually everything is so together and they know what they are trying to project. That’s why I was looking for something straightforward and simple in a different setting. At the same time my wife was expecting her first child, and it made me think that I’ve always been a child - but now I was going to be a parent, too. Regarding the session with the musicians, I thought: Punks do have parents, too. I was curious whether they looked like their parents…

The whole shooting was such a fun idea and turned out to be an opportunity for a show. Luckily there was a gallery where I could do an exhibition once a year for two weeks. That’s it how it all began. Later I didn’t only shoot musicians but all sorts of people in order to see what the Japanese society looked like: carpenters, sushi chefs, policemen, farmers, tea ceremony ladies and firemen,…

Parent Sogetsu Watanabe is a tea ceremony instructor, her child Keiko Mitsui chose the same traditional profession. Picture taken in 1984.

1984: Parents Mitsuaki Ohwada/tattooist and Akie Ohwada/housewife. The child Keiko Ohwada is an elementary school student. Bruce: “Her parents both have tattoos and their daughter got a hugh shock when she entered a sentō, a public bath, for the first time. Until that event it was in her mind that all the adults must have tattoos. Everybody around the house had some and it was a very natural thing for her.”

Where did you find all these people?

It was pretty much over introduction. That was somehow confusing to people, because nobody usually thinks about having his picture taken with his child when the child is already an adult itself. But I wanted to concentrate on that sort of Oyako where the child already has its own career. I wanted to see the changes happening within the families, between one generation and the next. I see the parent as the link to the family’s roots and the child connecting to the next generation. When they are together you can see past, present, and future all in the same frame.

At one point I did a campaign for NTT and took pictures of famous families, including Butoh dancer Kazuo Ono, novelist Mori Yoko, actor Ken Uehara, Kabuki dancer Ichikawa Danjro, comedian Daisuke Miyagawa, filmmaker Shion Sono…

1994: Parent: Sheena, rock musician, with her child Junko Ayukawa, then a high school student. You can’t really tell who the older one is here - but let me tell you the mother Sheena is on the left.

Please tell me more about the photo setting…

Most of the people aren’t used to being photographed, to begin with. Obviously it’s very unusual for people to be in a white space, as I always shoot in the same way with that background. And then if they are in the studio in front of the camera they get a strange feeling – because nothing is there, except the person next to them being their intimate child or parent. In the beginning they just want to stand there and do nothing. But once they start to look at each other, they show that they are shy or start to laugh. Usually it starts progressing very fast from there.

From 1984: Child Yoshihisa Koike, a policeman, with his parent Takeshi Koike, a farmer

But do people really want to introduce their kids, especially famous people? I would think that they usually try to hide their private life from the media?

It has more to do with whether the parent accepts the child or not - and the other way round, too

1984: Often the child inherits the family profession: parent Jisaku Yamada is a sushi chef, his child Eiichi Yamada, too.

There are quite a few families where you took the same picture twice, often after a very long time…

Yes, sometimes there are 10, 20 or more years in between and the son or daughter has then reached the same age of the father in the first picture. Eventually the children get to look like their parents the older they get. That’s when the DNA sets in obviously.

Four years ago you introduced your Oyako No Hi. What’s that?

As this is a lifelong project for me, I wanted to take it one step further and created a special day to focus on that kind of unique parent-child relationship. The first year we had Oyako Day in 2003, my wife and I did it on our own without any sponsorship. Since then we have been fortunate to have the support of a number of individuals and companies. Every fourth Sunday in July is Oyako Day. On this day, we invite 100 families to the studio to have their photos taken.

From 1984: Parent Taijun Kagenaka, a Buddhist monk, with child Akira Kagenaka, a Buddhist monk.

Taken in 2004: Parent Sumikatsu Iijima is a ramen shop owner, his child Kenichiro Iijima a beautician.

How would you compare the family structure and its changing from the 80s to the 90s, up to today?

Society changed so it has to affect the family, too: Everything from the postwar era to when the Western culture came in. I started in the 80s, an affluent time for Japan with the economic bubble. I wouldn’t say that the kind of relationships within families have changed as such, but society got so busy…

What I mean is that from child to parent - everybody seems to have quite a busy schedule and lifstyle now. As for communication, obviously pretty much of that happens via mobile phone and over the internet, not face-to-face.

Then, when I took my first daughter to pre-school in the 80s, I used to be the only guy among the housewives watching their kids learn to put the covers on their futons. Now you would find more young men there, too. I also noticed another change: when I accompanied my daughter to her maturity party the Seijin Shiki recently, everybody was wearing a Kimono as a part of their traditional culture to go to a temple. 20 years before that almost all of them would wear suits. The same goes for New Year’s Eve: when you go to the temple at 12 o’clock at night now it is so crowded with young people who are interested to keep up this old tradition.

I guess now that young people have so much access to many things they feel the need for their traditional Japanese culture to balance them, to give them some roots. Whereas 20 years ago it was all about being a Western person and being different.

Bruce Osborn with his wife Yoshino.

Thank you Bruce, to show us a part of Japanese society then and now!

The exhibition: Hurry up for the Oyako exhibition until this Sunday, the 28th, at the JCII Camera Museum in Chiyoda, open 10 am to 5 pm. Free entry. For further info check Bruce’s website or his blog.

53 Comments

  1. Very very very interesting! Especially this part, “The parent Yozo Suenaga was a pet shop owner - the child Mai Momonoki was a porno actress…” And the father got really into it and started writing screenplay afterwards. Hahaha, cool.

    Posted by: Ben on January 24th, 2007 at 11:00 pm

  2. Awesome.. i really love their expressions. They express what they do in unique way.

    Posted by: Kuswanto on January 25th, 2007 at 12:10 am

  3. That is too cool. I’d love to get a few portraits done with my parents just like that!

    Posted by: Laynie on January 25th, 2007 at 12:12 am

  4. Awsome, this is relly interesting, I would love to see all this put together like in a book, I know I would buy it.

    Posted by: Vincent on January 25th, 2007 at 7:43 am

  5. ‘I guess now that young people have so much access to many things they feel the need for their traditional Japanese culture to balance them, to give them some roots. Whereas 20 years ago it was all about being a Western person and being different.’

    • this is very interesting, being an 80’s kid i too feel that there is something strange about this ‘information age’ and acces too much information sometimes [can i take it all in?!]. thinking about it japan has quite a deep and strong traitional base, they have traditional dress etc, tradition that can be easily [visually] expressed, being british…what do i do?!!@$£%^ ahhhh i’m lost.

    maybe i should bring out my Traditional British Tweed Shooting Suit and get me some pheasant.

    Posted by: digs86 on January 25th, 2007 at 8:55 am

  6. Thank you for sharing the pictures. They are absolutely lovely.

    Posted by: Lauren on January 25th, 2007 at 9:38 am

  7. That’s creepy, the dude is taking a picture with his naked daughter?

    Posted by: Andrew on January 25th, 2007 at 12:48 pm

  8. That’s awesome, the dude is taking a picture with his naked daughter!

    Posted by: Michael Gentleman on January 25th, 2007 at 1:02 pm

  9. Beautiful concept. Beautiful snaps. Great work Bruce!

    Posted by: Inverse on January 25th, 2007 at 3:34 pm

  10. Great Job.Powerfull shots and concept. i love this article and ?Hail to Bruce Osborn ! with these photographs .

    Posted by: A1one on January 25th, 2007 at 4:05 pm

  11. amazing idea and an beautiful set of photos.
    thank you very much for sharing.

    Posted by: maique madeira on January 25th, 2007 at 6:04 pm

  12. [...] PingMag - The Tokyo-based magazine about “Design and Making Things” » Archive » Bruce Osborn: Oyako - Portraying Japanese Generations ‘In 1982 American photographer Bruce Osborn began what has become his lifelong work: the Oyako series. For the last 25 years he took pictures of one parent with one child in a white studio setting.’ (tags: parents children Japan photos portraits) [...]

    Posted by: Heraclitean Fire » Links on January 25th, 2007 at 8:20 pm

  13. Some of these are just priceless. The sushi chef and his son - the look on the old man’s face - pride in his work, what he’s raised, but still looking like it’s not quite good enough. Love it!

    Posted by: Ken on January 25th, 2007 at 10:12 pm

  14. So much is said with so little. Each one a simple black and white photo of two people - and yet the electricty that is generated by the relationship, spatial and unspoken, is breathtaking. This is the work of a true artist; capturing the magic of humans being. Awesome.

    Posted by: Lewie JPD on January 25th, 2007 at 10:13 pm

  15. This is really beautiful. Cool stuff :)

    Posted by: Combustible Frank on January 25th, 2007 at 10:48 pm

  16. This is good work, but it’s interesting to compare the father and nude daughter, for instance, smiling and relaxed, with something like Patty Chang’s video piece “In Love”:

    http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a91/yumcha/gpcworklarge_230.jpg

    “Chang kisses each of her parents passionately and shares a raw onion with them… as challenging to watch as it was to make: witnessing tongues, tears and gazes.”

    Posted by: Momus on January 25th, 2007 at 11:47 pm

  17. What an expressive set of photos–beautiful work . . . though I have to admit I find the idea of a nude, grown daughter with her father creepy.

    Posted by: Sally Parrott Ashbrook on January 26th, 2007 at 12:34 am

  18. [...] http://www.pingmag.jp/2007/01/24/bruce-osborn-oyako-portraying-japanese-generations/ [...]

    Posted by: walking upright » Blog Archive » A little culture for your day. on January 26th, 2007 at 1:07 am

  19. what a sick father she had *that pornostar :P

    Posted by: fummo on January 26th, 2007 at 3:13 am

  20. [...] PingMag - The Tokyo-based magazine about “Design and Making Things” » Archive » Bruce Osborn: Oyako - Portraying Japanese Generations [...]

    Posted by: earnmorebread.com » Blog Archive » Bruce Osborn: Oyako - Portraying Japanese Generations on January 26th, 2007 at 3:19 am

  21. This article was quite an experience to read. Fantastic! :)

    Posted by: Mindaugas on January 26th, 2007 at 5:36 pm

  22. [...] PingMag interviews Bruce Osborn about his Oyako photography series: There surely are extensive sociological studies of the Japanese society: figures, numbers, tiny print on countless pages and lots of dry charts, too. But what about a more artistic, visual approach? In 1982 American photographer Bruce Osborn began what has become his lifelong work: the Oyako series. For the last 25 years he took pictures of one parent with one child in a white studio setting. Bruce even introduced its own version of the Japanese “Oyako No Hi” (parent and child) day: he organizes a huge photo session every year. After some time, Bruce would even repeat the same parent-child shoot to reveal the significant changes in the relationship between mother and daughter for example, the differing characteristics of fashion changing over the years or simply documenting people getting older. A part of Bruce’s huge archive is currently shown at the JCII Camera Museum in Tokyo until this Sunday, the 28th (more info below). PingMag talked with Bruce Osborn about his devotion for Oyako, the Japanese parent and child. [...]

    Posted by: Japan: Parent and Child at teabyrd.com on January 27th, 2007 at 12:08 am

  23. I love this. It is beautiful. It just makes me want to go to Japan even MORE. I wish… maybe someday…

    Posted by: Doctress Julia on January 27th, 2007 at 6:22 am

  24. Great series! Nice sociological study as well. The images remind me a little of The great German Photographer, August Sander!
    I especially love the natural relationship we all feel to our parents no matter our differences….
    I hope the series travel to Canada sometime….Thanks, Ron in Vancouver

    Posted by: Ron on January 27th, 2007 at 10:29 am

  25. Bruce Osborn Rocks! Man, how often does one get a project like this?! What a positive contribution he makes to Japanese culture and the people who participates.

    Thank you so much!

    Posted by: John Freeman on January 28th, 2007 at 1:26 am

  26. Thank you for sharing your marvelous talent. The pictures here are beautiful. Keep up the good work as long as you can.

    Posted by: Ray Biondi on January 28th, 2007 at 2:55 am

  27. Amazing work….:)

    Posted by: Adrian Lai on January 31st, 2007 at 5:43 am

  28. [...] Bruce Osborn: Oyako - Portraying Japanese Generations [...]

    Posted by: Creative Rebirth » Blog Archive » Best posts on the web for January 2007 on February 1st, 2007 at 3:04 pm

  29. [...] Fotoğrafçı Bruce Osborn, Japon ilelerini bir arada fotoğraflamış ve bir sergi açmış. “Oyako - Portraying Japanese Generations”.  Osbornla yapılan röportaj için tıklayın. [...]

    Posted by: Japonya’dan Kuşak Fotoğrafları; Anne-Baba ve Çocuklar - Arkitera Blog on February 1st, 2007 at 6:49 pm

  30. [...] 在PingMag上看到对住在日本的美国摄影家Bruce Osborn的一个访谈。他的照片系列Oyako（親子）系列是访谈的重点。从80年代开始，Osborn就开始选取普通的日本家庭，以家长和孩子为主题拍摄照片。形式都很相近：一位父/母和他们的孩子（很多是独子/女)，摄影的时候要求两位都穿着工作服（太小的小孩就不用）。之后的20年里他除了不断寻找信的拍摄对象之外，还有意识地去寻找过去参与过拍摄的人。看看20年后的他们都在做什么。这些照片对比90年代以来日本社会的变迁，真是很有意思。 [...]

    Posted by: Bruce Osborn: 变化中的日本群像 at Human-Error Processor on February 2nd, 2007 at 12:52 am

  31. [...] 在PingMag上看到对住在日本的美国摄影家Bruce Osborn的一个访谈。他的照片系列Oyako（親子）系列是访谈的重点。从80年代开始，Osborn就开始选取普通的日本家庭，以家长和孩子为主题拍摄照片。形式都很相近：一位父/母和他们的孩子（很多是独子/女)，摄影的时候要求两位都穿着工作服（太小的小孩就不用）。之后的20年里他除了不断寻找信的拍摄对象之外，还有意识地去寻找过去参与过拍摄的人。看看20年后的他们都在做什么。这些照片对比90年代以来日本社会的变迁，真是很有意思。 [...]

    Posted by: Bruce Osborn: 变化中的日本群像 at Human-Error Processor on February 2nd, 2007 at 12:52 am

  32. The interaction between the charectors is so pleasant.

    Posted by: Navid on February 2nd, 2007 at 3:24 am

  33. [...] Via: Ping Magazine Share and Enjoy: [...]

    Posted by: A Bit of MIX » Archivo del Blog » Bruce Osborn- Parents and childs on February 2nd, 2007 at 8:36 am

  34. [...] Bruce Osborn: Oyako - Portraying Japanese Generations [via MeFi] Bruce Osborn takes pictures of one parent and one child, together, visually depicting the substance and evolution of a culture. [...]

    Posted by: All This ChittahChattah : Blog Archive : ChittahChattah Quickies on February 3rd, 2007 at 3:22 pm

  35. [...] For instance…. grannies in Japan wear bellywarmers called Haramaki, which are very very drek. Redesigned by copywriting polymath shigesato-itoi, the bowel bandages are going to take over cold bits of the world. Meanwhile, Bruce Osborn is photographing parents and children over a long time as a microcosm of intergeneration change and continuity. [...]

    Posted by: Barista » Blog Archive » ping.. a mag on February 3rd, 2007 at 8:54 pm

  36. Amazing. I seriously love everything about this!

    Posted by: fndjf on February 5th, 2007 at 3:06 am

  37. Great portraits!!

    Posted by: Lu! on February 6th, 2007 at 10:53 pm

  38. [...] >>Bruce Osborne Portraying Japanese Generations throughout 30 years [...]

    Posted by: Fractal00 » 07/02/2007 links of the week on February 8th, 2007 at 6:14 pm

  39. [...] Got a mail from a collegue with this site filled with all kind of crazy Japanese design. Take for example the picture below of a package with two lip-sticked seal-panda babes swimming through the seas of dried noodles while having a drink… Another post is about Portraying Japanese Generations, great pictures. Link to pingmag [...]

    Posted by: PingMag - The Tokyo-based magazine about design and ‘making things’ | Information Jungle on February 12th, 2007 at 5:03 pm

  40. Dang that’s some nice stuff

    Posted by: Hdr on March 11th, 2007 at 6:30 pm

  41. [...] is hosting an excellent interview with photographer Bruce Osborn about his Oyako series of photos. The project is simple, but Bruce has been pursuing it for [...]

    Posted by: goldengod » Bruce Osborn’s Oyako Project: Portraying Japanese Generations on March 21st, 2007 at 5:30 pm

  42. [...] PingMag has an interesting feature about American photographer Bruce Osborn and his lifetime project called “Oyako” (mother and child). He’s been taking pictures of parents and children together for the last 25 years and it has developed into a work of compelling and interesting portraiture. [...]

    Posted by: Pocky » Blog Archive » Bruce Osborn’s “Oyako” Photo Project on April 27th, 2007 at 12:00 am

  43. [...] yang timbul untuk menginpirasinya mengusulkan oyako no hi. Secara singkat hasil jepretannya mampu bercerita banyak tentang bagaimana hubungan antar-generasi di Jepang ini. Bila Minggu ke-2 adalah hari Ibu, Minggu [...]

    Posted by: Ko, Oya, Oyako « A SUNNY DAY on June 14th, 2007 at 11:11 am

  44. hi nice post, i enjoyed it

    Posted by: Nathen on August 19th, 2007 at 8:41 am

  45. [...] Via PingMag [...]

    Posted by: Inherited Sushi at Sushi or Death on September 9th, 2007 at 3:35 am

  46. [...] Via PingMag - Portraying Japanese generations [...]

    Posted by: Sushi or Death » Inherited sushi on September 10th, 2007 at 2:28 am

  47. [...] Via: Ping Magazine [...]

    Posted by: hobgobbler.com » Blog Archive » Bruce Osborn- Parents and childs on September 29th, 2007 at 2:26 am

  48. soy de chile, lejos lo mejor que he visto hoy en la red estaba buscando algunas paginas para pasar el dia, perop cuando vi estyas fotografias me gustaron bastante, ya que muestran verdaderamente las emociones que estan ocurriendo en el momento de tomar la foto.

    Posted by: christian Tapia on January 20th, 2008 at 1:24 pm

  49. hi there,
    really, really wonderful photos!!!
    thank you to let me show this great pics.
    bests,
    diana

    Posted by: diana on June 20th, 2008 at 11:24 am

  50. [...] via pingmag. [...]

    Posted by: Oyako: Portraits of Japanese families « nicole stamp’s pageslap: your daily dose of internet awesome on July 20th, 2008 at 9:52 am

  51. lots more bruce photos on his site:

    bruceosborn.com

    Posted by: infomix23 on July 21st, 2008 at 12:15 pm

  52. [...] wife Yoshiko took their Oyako project one step further… [An older interview can be found at PingMag] No Comments [...]

    Posted by: FamiliCreativ: Japan centric design wall on May 13th, 2009 at 5:01 am

  53. [...] and the website of the Oyako project. You can also read an interesting interview about Oyako on the PingMag. You can also listen to a longer and more comprehensive interview on the Candid Frame podcast #93. [...]

    Posted by: Green Tea Gallery Magazine | Bruce Osborn on April 12th, 2010 at 5:15 am

  • Share and Enjoy:
  • del.icio.us
  • digg
  • Fark
  • NewsVine
  • RawSugar
  • Reddit
  • YahooMyWeb
Previously on PingMag