Born 1963 in Wakayama. Has been photographing sacred sites as motifs representing extensions of daily life in and around Kumano, his hometown and at once a sacred place. His life work has been widely recognized, and awarded several prizes including the Kimura Ihei Award in 2000, and the Higashikawa Prize (Domestic Photographer) and Wakayama Prefecture Culture Award in 2006. His participation in a group exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston in 2003; a solo exhibition in New York in 2006; and the “Kumano, Yuki, Sakura” exhibition at Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography in 2007 cemented his high international reputation. Photo books include Piles of Time (1999), Mont Sainte Victoire (2004), White (’12), and Atelier of Cézanne (’13).