Takeshi Ishikawa

Takeshi Ishikawa – Photographer and Photobook Artist

Takeshi Ishikawa (石川武志) was born in 1950 on Shikoku Island and trained in commercial photography at Tokyo Visual Arts, graduating in 1972. His early practice was shaped by involvement in the Minamata Project, after which he relocated to New York and established himself as a freelance photographer from 1975. His work sits within the tradition of Japanese documentary and street photography, attentive to urban life and its social textures.

Ishikawa's photobooks function as complete works rather than collections of individual images — the sequencing and physical form of the book are integral to how the work is read. His extended engagement with Varanasi produced a sustained body of work on the city's streets and riverbanks, published as Naked City Varanasi by Sokyusha, a Tokyo-based publisher with a consistent record in Japanese photography editions.

Lokator100 currently stocks Naked City Varanasi. Ishikawa's work is catalogued within the broader Photography & Photobooks collection.