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Nobuyoshi Araki (b.1940) is a Japanese photographer whose work navigates the tension between intimacy and voyeurism. Known for his diaristic images and provocative explorations of eroticism, Araki’s photographs often depict women in Kinbaku, the traditional Japanese art of rope bondage, evoking the aesthetic legacy of 17th-century Shunga prints. His lens also captures the banal yet poetic textures of urban life — from Tokyo’s crowded streets to fleeting moments of personal tenderness. Despite facing legal challenges under Japan’s obscenity laws, Araki has maintained an enduring presence in contemporary art, with over 400 photobooks to his name. His seminal work Sentimental Journey (1971), documenting his honeymoon with his late wife Aoki Yoko, stands as a testament to his belief in the camera as both confessional and witness. Recognized globally, Araki’s photographs reside in major institutions like Tate Modern and SFMOMA, underscoring his persistent interrogation of desire, memory, and mortality.