Gangs Of Kabukicho

The subjects of itinerant Tokyo portrait photographer Watanabe Katsumi’s 1960s and 70s photographs are the prostitutes, street people, drag queens, entertainers and gangsters (Yakuza) that populated night-time Kabukicho, the red light district of Shinjuku. Watanabe made his living by selling these photographs to his subjects, offering three prints for 200 yen. Captivating as they are intriguing, the duotone images that fill this edition demonstrate the keen sensitivity of a photographer that managed to capture his fascinating collection of subjects in natural and uninhibited postures.