Sakiko Nomura: Tender is the Night

This definitive monograph celebrates the stunning work of an esteemed Japanese photographer known for her intimate and atmospheric black-and-white portraits.

Sakiko Nomura’s images explore themes of sensuality, identity, and solitude with striking emotional depth. A protégé of Nobuyoshi Araki, she captures the human form in raw, vulnerable states, focusing on the interplay of light and shadow to evoke stillness, introspection, and desire. Her subjects, often youthful and alluring, reveal the power and tension of erotic desire with remarkable tenderness. As a woman photographing both male and female nudes, Nomura’s work challenges traditional Japanese stereotypes, offering a fresh perspective on intimacy and the human experience.

This book features a rich selection of Nomura’s most evocative work, showcasing her fluid, rhythmic brushstrokes of light and shadow. Her compositions blur the line between subtle eroticism and contemplative beauty, capturing personal moments that resonate universally.

Elegant and alluring, this monograph is an essential addition for admirers of Japanese photography, women photographers, and contemporary erotic art, and offers a compelling invitation to explore the forces of desire, vulnerability, and human connection through the lens of one of Japan’s most captivating contemporary photographers.

About the Author

SIMON BAKER is the director of the MEP in Paris and an expert on Japanese photography.

ENRIQUE JUNCOSA is a poet, writer, and curator.

MICHIKO KASAHARA is a curator who has organized many exhibitions focusing on contemporary Japanese photography.