Renowned Photographer Kishin Shinoyama, Known for Capturing Iconic John Lennon-Yoko Ono Image, Passes Away

Kishin Shinoyama, a renowned Japanese photographer, has passed away at the age of 83. He was well-known for capturing the iconic image of John Lennon and Yoko Ono, which was featured on the cover of their album, Double Fantasy. This photograph was taken months before Lennon's tragic death, and Shinoyama later revealed that he had suggested the couple kiss for the shot. Reflecting on that moment, he expressed that it was their happiest moment, and he felt privileged to have been there to capture it. In addition to his work with Lennon and Ono, Shinoyama was also famous for his artistic nude portraits of women. His solo exhibition, showcasing his body of work, attracted over 1 million visitors since 2012. Born in Tokyo in 1940, Shinoyama studied photography at the Nihon University College of Art and began his career as a freelance photographer in 1968 after working for an advertising agency. He gained widespread recognition for his photographs of celebrities, like novelist Yukio Mishima, which were taken shortly before Mishima's tragic suicide. Shinoyama saw photography as a tool to document the fleeting moments of life, stating in a 2014 interview with Japanese essayist Ririko Amakasu, "Time continues to die, and photography is a tool to record those dying moments." His nude photographs of star actresses Rie Miyazawa and Kanako Higuchi became immensely popular, causing a societal phenomenon upon their release in 1991. Shinoyama attributed his ability to disappear while taking pictures as the reason his models didn't mind his presence.