Issue:
Oyako (parents and children) by Bruce Osborn
Child: Gota Miura/professional skier Three years after this photo was taken, they climbed Mount Everest. Yuichiro was then 80 years old and holds the record as the oldest person to successfully reach its summit.
I BEGAN TAKING PHOTOS of Japanese parents and children as a way of looking at both Japanese culture and changes from one generation to the next. In the 33 years since starting, I have shot thousands of oyako and the project has grown in ways I never expected. In 2003, my wife and I started Oyako Day, which is celebrated on the fourth Sunday of July. On Oyako Day, I take photos of a hundred families in an all-day, super photo session. July 26 will be our 13th Oyako Day event. Photos in this FCCJ exhibition feature well-known parents and children from an ongoing series for the Mainichi Shimbun.
Bruce Osborn’s work has appeared in numerous publications and adverts, and he has received a number of awards. He has published several books, and also shoots commercials and music videos. In 2014, a documentary was made about the Oyako project. See more at www.oyako.org.
