The Destroyer of Myths

One of the most respected Japanese photographers of the 20th century, the late Eikoh Hosoe was known for capturing human bodies in dramatic ways that defied the photographic conventions of social realism. His interest in the corporeal, in movement, and in sensuality form the nucleus of arguably his best-known work, Ordeal by Roses (1961), a darkly erotic series of photographs of the infamous Japanese novelist Yukio Mishima. Transfixed by Hosoe’s bold visual style, Mishima commissioned the project, offering himself up to the camera with no restrictions. And so, Hosoe wound a garden hose around Mishima’s nude body and made him alternate between walking slowly and lying on the floor for an hour. When Mishima asked Hosoe why he had photographed him like this, Hosoe replied: “This is the destruction of a myth.”