Japan’s First Female Photo - 1

Japan’s First Female Photo-Journalist, Still Active At 101, Reveals Her Secret

Tsuneko Sasamoto is Japan’s first female photo-journalist. She just turned 101 and, despite having broken 2 legs and her left hand, is still shooting while on her way to recovery.

“You should never become lazy. It’s essential to remain positive about your life and never give up,” said Sasamoto. “You need to push yourself and stay aware, so you can move forward. That’s what I want people to know.”

Sasamoto was born in 1914, Tokyo. Instead of getting married and becoming a housewife as was common in those days, she resisted the pressure and became a photo-journalist, documenting pre- and post-war Japan since her early 20s.

“I haven’t talked about my age up to now, people often think I’m 20 years younger,” says Sasamoto

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“I feel if I tell people I’m 100 years old, they will say ‘Can you still push the shutter button, or ‘Can you still see okay?’”

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“It’s essential to remain positive about your life and never give up”

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Dome in Hirosima after bombing, 1953

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Geisha School, 1951

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Antarctic ship Soya, 1956

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Delegation of Hitler Youth who visited Japan in 1940

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“You need to push yourself and stay aware, so you can move forward”

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An interview with Sasamoto shortly before her 100th birthday

Japan’s First Female Photo - 11

Julija Televičiūtė

Love art in yourself, and not yourself in art.