Thematic and Artistic Features of Domon Ken’s “Muroji” Series in the Context of Japanese Photography Development in the 1950s

This study examines the “Muroji” photographic series published in a photobook format in 1954 by Japanese photographer Domon Ken (1909-1990). The photographs, depicting the eponymous Buddhist temple in the Nara Prefecture, marked the beginning of “traditional” imagery in Domon’s oeuvre and also occupied a significant place within the Japanese photography of the time. In particular, “Muroji” embedded itself in a variety of major projects of 1950s, devoted to the national culture and its symbols. By presenting images of tradition in modernist aesthetic, Japanese photographers reactualised it for contemporary audiences and employed it to create a new artistic and ideological space for the post-war rethinking of the national identity. The study addresses the relationship of “Muroji” to these trends. It defines the artistic and thematic features of the series and puts them into the context of 1950s Japanese photography development, comparing Domon’s images to the works by other authors on similar subjects.