Japan’s Artisans Photographed by Roman Jehanno

After having travelled to the four corners of the globe for his photo series Working People, Roman Jehanno arrived in Japan to photograph artisans in their working environment. In the Working People Japan chapter of his project, he offers an intimate and human portrait of blacksmiths, woodworkers, seamstresses, potters, and other artists, workers, and artisans carrying out their everyday work across Japan.

Photographs with no captions

The photographer always follows the same process: he begins by establishing a relationship with his subject, asking them questions about their life and techniques, before capturing the moment in a portrait of the artisan at work. These photographs have no accompanying text. The aim is not to immortalise their expertise on paper; rather it is to give visibility to those who are perpetuating their country’s heritage but who are all too frequently overlooked.

Working People Japan (2018) is a series of photographs by Roman Jehanno that can be found on his website.