About
Eriko Kaniwa is an award winning fine art photographer based in Tokyo, and the creator of the Sensegraphia Fine Art Photography.
Sensegraphia is a conceptual redefinition of photography, in which the visual aesthetics of the photograph are used to develop and express a sense of nature that enables us to recognize that humans are a part of nature, and that we are centrally involved in nature's dynamics.
Kaniwa spent a year and a half exploring the symbols of Japanese nature worship, which are exemplified in the “eight million gods” of Shinto, and reflecting on how ancient Japanese viewed natural scenery and symbolized it as an object of prayer. Traveling to over twenty locations throughout Japan, she used long-exposure photography to capture images of torii gates built in water, sacred “wedded rocks,” World Heritage sites, and other spiritual landscapes. She then used unique editing techniques to elevate the photographs to fine art pieces. These images are collected, together with text, in her book "JOKEI: Symbols of Nature Worship, Sacred Places in Japan"
The book was awarded internationally as the one of the best fine art photo books.