Iwao Yamawaki
| Iwao Yamawaki | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Iwao Fujita April 29, 1898 Japan |
| Died | March 8, 1987 (aged 88) Japan |
| Nationality | Japanese |
| Occupation | Photographer, architect |
Iwao Yamawaki (山脇 巌 Yamawaki Iwao, 29 April 1898–8 March 1987), born Iwao Fujita in Nagasaki, was a Japanese photographer and architect who trained at the Bauhaus.
He studied architecture at the Tokyo School of Fine Arts, now the Tokyo University of the Arts from 1921 to 1926.
After his graduation he worked as an architect for the Yokogawa Construction Company and began to take photographs, which he submitted to the publications and competitions of Kenchiku gakkai (the Society for Architectural Research).
He was active in theatre circles as a costume and set designer and in 1926 he founded the Ningyō-za theatre in Tokyo with Koreya Senda (1904-1994) and others, and became involved with Tan'i sanka, an avant-garde artists' group, where he met the Bauhaus student Sadanosuke Nakada (1888-1970), and where he later became friends with Takehiko Mizutani (1898-1969), the first Japanese student to study at the Bauhaus.
He was formally introduced to Michiko Yamawaki (1910-2000), an heiress and the eldest daughter of a wealthy businessman, whom he married in 1928. He was asked to adopt her family name, which he did in return for the opportunity to study at the Bauhaus.
In May 1930 Iwao and Michiko left Japan for New York, where they spent two months, before travelling to Berlin, where they were reunited with Koreya Senda, who had already been living in Berlin for about two years. Senda, a politically active socialist, was involved with underground theatre in Berlin, and with the Japanese artistic community in the city, which he introduced the Yamawaki's to. They often gathered in decadent bars, such as the El Dorado, a famous gay, lesbian and trans venue.
In 1930 Yamawakis, together with Senda, the painter Osuke Shimazaki, lacquer artist Kotaro Fukuoka and photographer Hiroshi Yoshizawa, founded the design studio Tomoe in Berlin. The studio produced posters, gift-wrap paper and leaflets, and undertook window dressing and interior design for Japanese restaurants.
In October 1930 the couple began Josef Albers' first semester preliminary course at the Bauhaus in Dessau. In April 1931 Michiko went on to study in the weaving workshop and Iwao initially studied architecture, but a few months later he changed to the photography course taught by Walter Peterhans. Iwao developed a close friendship with fellow student and later Bauhaus teacher Kurt Kranz. Kranz was interested in photomontage and introduced Yamawaki to it.
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