Pencil of the Sun

Shomei Tomatsu, a leading figure of Japanese postwar photography, produced a series of "Pencil of the Sun" in the 1960s and early 70s, during an extended sojourn in Okinawa. This was a period of time before Okinawa was returned to Japanese administration. These pictures show Tomatsu’s sympathy for the Okinawan people who tried to preserve their own indigenous culture in the face of rapid Americanization. The people of Tomatsu’s photographers lead a seemingly carefree lives in the island’s dazzling light. The title, "Pencil of the Sun,” is a clear reference to Henry Fox Talbot's "The Pencil of Nature,” hinting at a thematic connection between the original of photography and his own body of work, which was in itself a groundbreaking project and a return to his own roots as a photographer.

The second half of the series features various color photographs taken in Okinawa and Southeast Asia. On the isolated southern islands, Tomatsu, who continued to portray the condition of Postwar Japan, explored the ideas of nation, nationalism, national borders, and solidarity. Of paramount interest to Tomatsu, however, was the spiritual nature of Okinawa’s original culture. Even today, forty years later after the photographs were taken, Tomatsu’s message is relevant and important issue. With this in mind, ten images from this series were selected and published as a reconsideration of Tomatsu's important work.