Born in Tokyo in 1950, photographer and essayist

In 1973, at the age of 23, he moved to England where he spent ten years. During that time, he worked as an actor in a theater company and then became a photographer. He was exposed to the punk rock movement, and pointed his camera to the living people of London.

After returning to Japan, he took many photos in the style of black-and-white snap portraits of unadorned figures from artists such as Fukuyama Masaharu to the people of the city.

His neat and clean style has attracted many fans of his work, and he has received support from a wide range of age groups. In addition to photography, he writes essays and is a radio personality (currently on FM Yokohama, "Herbie's Radio" from 18:20 to 18:40 every Friday.

He was awarded the 2011 Photographic Society of Japan Award. He is currently a guest professor at Osaka University of Arts and Kyushu Sangyo University.