Shinjo Ito was a passionate photographer whose talent evolved from the 1920’s following studies under Toragoro Ariga, a well known and respected portraitist who had himself worked for Ernst Sandau in Germany.

Shinjo Ito could have pursued a profession in photography when in 1934 he won first prize for a print entitled: “Afternoon in a Rural Village” in a contest sponsored by the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper. In January 1935 Shinjo Ito’s “Light in the Morning” also received an exhibition prize, and “Light” was published in the Gendai monthly journal in 1935 accompanying a poem of the same name written by the revered literary figure of the time, Saisei Muro.

However, after Shinjo Ito came across the medieval Achalanatha sculpture in December 1935 his life would take a dramatic new direction. In 1936, Shinjo Ito entered into formal Buddhist training at the Daigoji Monastery and such would eventual lead to Shinjo Ito’s founding of Shinnyo Buddhism.

Shinjo Ito maintained a passion for photography throughout his life and could often be seen with a camera during his travels. In 1995, Shinnyo-en opened the Kiyosato Museum of Photographic Arts (K’MoPA) in Yamanashi prefecture in Japan, with the photographer Eiko Hosoe as director. The museum is committed to supporting young photographers, keeping Shinjo Ito’s passion for photography alive and vibrant for generations to come.

Untitled Silver gelatin print Date unknown	Untitled Silver gelatin print Ca. 1935	Untitled Silver gelatin print Ca. 1935
Untitled Silver gelatin print Date unknown	Light in the Morning Silver gelatin print 1935	Untitled Silver gelatin print Date unknown
Untitled Silver Gelatin Print Ca. 1940	Return Trip Silver gelatin print 1939	Shinjo Ito (LHS) Photography Taken 1940’s
Untitled Silver gelatin print 1939	Shinjo Ito as a young man Date unknown