Head of Anira (One of Twelve Heavenly Generals), the Kondo Hall, Murouji Temple 

This is a close-up photograph of the face of Anira, one of the Twelve Heavenly Generals, as he stares, deep in thought, into the void. The image captures such vitality as to make one blink or look away. The sparkles in the crystal eyeballs and the wood grain around the nose and mouth are just some of the fascinating details. Domon Ken was one of the first Japanese photographers to proclaim the importance of capturing the textures of a subject. Capitalizing on the camera’s ability to record detail, he sought to accentuate his subject’s presence as much as possible. Incidentally, this photo was taken during the Sino-Japanese War. At the time, photographers and what they could shoot were tightly controlled by the government. Apparently photography was permitted only for recording traditional culture and folk events.
(OSAWA Sayoko)