68

Katsumi Watanabe

1941-2006

A selection of 8 portraits taken in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo. 1965-69.

Silver prints
Each with Watanabe's signature stamp and five with the negative date in ink, on verso.
The images from 9 5/8 x 9 1/2 in. (24.4 x 24.1 cm.) to 11 1/2 x 7 7/8 in. (29.2 x 20 cm.), the sheets 11 7/8 x 9 7/8 in. (30.2 x 25.1 cm.) to 12 1/4 x 9 7/8 in. (31.1 x 25.1 cm.)

  • Provenance:
    ROTH Gallery; to Rose Gallery, Santa Monica in 2007
  • Notes:
    Watanabe Katsumi was an itinerant portrait photographer who worked in the Shinjuku section
    of Tokyo during the 1960s and 1970s, frequenting the blue light district of Kabukicho that
    was populated nightly with Yakuza (gang members), transvestites, and prostitutes. Watanabe
    received some critical attention in the early 1970s, and published monographic surveys from
    then through the late 1990s. He was championed by fellow photographers Daido Moriyama and Nobuyoshi Araki.
  • Condition:
    Please contact the Specialist for the auction to request a condition report.

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February 5, 2026 12:00 PM EST
New York, NY, US

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