これまでの40年間、作者は様々な作品を生み出し、今日の日本の写真界で最も影響力のある人物の一人となった。『東京郊外 TOKYO SUBURBIA』（1998年、光琳社刊）における東京の郊外風景を追った初期の作品から、建築、自然、都市の歴史をコンセプチュアルに探った作品群まで、視覚文化における写真が持つ役割に常に挑み、拡張させ続けている。作者の影響は日本のみならず国外にも及び、展覧会や出版物は、アイデンティティ、場所、そして写真集が物語る視覚言語の進化を取り巻く世界的な対話の発生や発展に貢献している。
アウグスト・ザンダー（August Sander）の『Face of Our Time』（1929年）、アーヴィング・ペン（Irving Penn）の『Small Trades』（撮影・プリント：1950年〜1960年代、書籍化：2009年）、最近ではヴォルフガング・ティルマンス（Wolfgang Tillmans）の『Portraits』（2002年）、リネケ・ダイクストラ（Rineke Dijkstra）が思春期の少年少女を写したシリーズ、ポール・グラハム（Paul Graham）の『End of an Age』（1999年）など、画期的とされた代表作と呼応しながら、社会的な部分で関与を見せるポートレイトが築いてきた豊かな伝統の顔ぶれに本書もまた加わる。日本では、東松照明が戦後の日常生活に密着したポートレイト群、昭和を生きた日本の巨匠たちを記録した上田義彦の『ポルトレ（PORTRAIT）』（2003年 / 普及版：2022年）、鬼海弘雄の『Asakusa Portraits』（2008年）、須田一成の『東京景』（2013年）、渡辺克巳の『新宿群盗伝 66/73』（1973年）などが、東京に生きる匿名の人々の個性と静かな貫禄をとらえている。
Portrait of J by renowned Japanese photographer, Takashi Homma, a compelling new photobook featuring 111 portraits of the Japanese people, taken between 2002 and the present. While honoring the influence of his mentors such as Arata Isozaki, the Pritzker award winning architect and Takuma Nakahira, his co-founder of The Provoke Movement, Homma’s portraits represent a wide range of occupations and life experiences, spanning all generations. With quiet intensity and unmistakable clarity, he invites us to contemplate the everyday and extraordinary faces that form the social and cultural fabric of contemporary Japan.
Over the past four decades, Takashi Homma has become one of the most influential figures in Japanese photography. From his early exploration of Tokyo’s suburban landscape in Tokyo Suburbia (1998) to conceptual investigations of architecture, nature, and urban history, Homma’s work continues to challenge and expand photography’s role in visual culture. His influence extends far beyond Japan, with exhibitions and publications that contribute to a global conversation around identity, place, and the evolving language of the photobook.
Portrait of J joins the rich tradition of socially engaged portraiture, echoing seminal works such as August Sander’s Face of Our Time, Irving Penn’s Small Trades, and, more recently, Wolfgang Tillmans’s Portraits, Rineke Dijkstra’s studies of adolescents and Paul Graham’s End of an Age. In Japan, similar approaches resonate in the work of Shomei Tomatsu, whose postwar portraits offered intimate glimpses into daily life; Yoshihiko Ueda’s Portrait, which documented leading cultural figures; and Hiroh Kikai’s Asakusa Portraits, as well as Issei Suda’s Tokyo-kei and Katsumi Watanabe’s Shinjuku Guntōden 66/73—all of which captured the individuality and quiet dignity of anonymous Tokyoites.
What distinguishes Portrait of J is its intentional focus on ordinary individuals photographed with the same care and reverence often reserved for cultural icons. Shot across a variety of familiar, recognizable locations, mainly in urban environments, Homma’s portraits have an illuminating quality that reveal a psychological depth in their subjects. His approach is less overtly political than Tomatsu’s, more nationally reflective than Kikai’s or Watanabe’s, and more humanistic than Ueda’s. His portraits are guided by empathy and a desire to observe people as they are—free from manipulation or staging. The result is a more inclusive, nuanced visual representation of Japanese identity—expanding the lens through which Japanese people are seen both within Japan and internationally.
While Japan has long fascinated audiences in the U.S., Europe, and beyond—often admired for its aesthetics, traditions, and technological innovation—the lived realities of its people are often idealized, misunderstood, or overlooked. Portrait of J is especially meaningful in that it offers a platform for a Japanese photographer to speak directly, intentionally, and reflectively through his work—presenting a grounded and authentic portrait of contemporary Japan.
At once systematic and deeply personal, Portrait of J is a quiet yet powerful milestone in Takashi Homma’s enduring career—and a poignant, timely archive of the people who shape Japan today.
