Book tells Yakutat Picture Man's story

March 17, 2015

University Relations

A new book showcases the photographs of a Japanese man who spent decades in a Southeast Alaska village but committed suicide after government officials named him a potential spy on the eve of World War II.

“Picture Man: The Legacy of Southeast Alaska Photographer Shoki Kayamori," by Margaret Thomas, is the latest release from the University of Alaska Press.

In 1912, Kayamori and his box camera arrived in the small Tlingit village of Yakutat. At a time when Asian immigrants were forbidden to own property and faced intense racial pressure, the Japanese-born Kayamori put down roots. For three decades, he photographed daily life in the village, turning his lens on locals and migrants alike, and gaining the nickname “Picture Man.” But as World War II drew near, Kayamori's passion for photography turned dangerous when government officials cast suspicion on him. Despondent, he committed suicide, leaving behind an enigmatic photographic legacy.

In "Picture Man," Margaret Thomas views Kayamori’s life through multiple lenses. Using Kayamori’s original photos, she explores the economic and political realities that sent Kayamori and thousands like him out of Japan toward opportunity and adventure in the United States, especially the Pacific Northwest. She reveals the tensions around Asian immigrants on the West Coast and the racism that sent many young men north to work in the canneries of Alaska. And she illuminates the intersecting — and at times conflicting — lives of villagers and migrants in a time of enormous change. Part history, part biography, part photographic showcase, "Picture Man" offers a fascinating new view of Alaska history.

For more information about this title and many more, please visit www.uapress.alaska.edu or call 800-621-2736.