Kyoichi Sawada, a Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist who distinguished himself during the Vietnam War, will be honored on the 50th anniversary of his death in an exhibition at the JCII Camera Museum in Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo.
On display starting Nov. 3 will be cameras and related materials used by Sawada, who was shot dead in Cambodia at the age of 34.
Currently, the museum is working to preserve negatives of shots taken by Sawada and other items to pass down the legacy of one of the nation's leading photographer to future generations.
The exhibition includes a portion of items donated by Sawada's widow, Sata, to the museum in December last year. Sawada's favorite camera -- a Leica M2 -- a helmet he wore while embedded with the military in Vietnam, and his Pulitzer Prize certificate are among 15 or so items planned to go on permanent display.
According to the Japan Camera Industry Institute, which manages and operates the museum, Sata donated tens of thousands of negatives and photographs taken by Sawada, including some never before seen publicly. The photos are not limited to battlefields, but include scenes of Japan as well, the institute said.
The museum has been organizing and preserving the donated negatives and other items, but, "There is so much, we've barely gotten started," a staff member said. The museum also aims to exhibit such photos in the future.
A lack of proper preservation can lead to the deterioration of negatives, and there also cases in which the family of a deceased photographer has difficulty in properly storing them.
"We need to take urgent measures from the perspective of protecting cultural properties," said Hiroshi Yano, executive director of the institute.
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
