AN EYE FOR A HORSE
By Ray Paulick
Few readers of the Paulick Report have probably ever heard of and fewer still have probably ever met Japanese photographer Hisae Imai, and that’s too bad. She was an international ambassador for Thoroughbred racing and breeding who helped racing fans in Japan and elsewhere see the magic and mystique of horses through her art.
Amazingly Miss Imai was, to my understanding, legally blind. It’s something I’ve never quite understood, how someone with such poor vision could have such an exquisite eye for her subjects and create some of the most beautiful images of horses ever produced.
I first met her at the 1993 Japan Cup, when introduced by the American-based photographer of Japanese descent, Shigeki Kikkawa. She spoke about as much English as I spoke Japanese, so our conversation was extremely limited. But she handed me a packet of post cards as a small gift, and they were the most stunning and unique equine images I had ever seen – before or since.
The photographs of Thoroughbreds racing across the plush green paddocks or the deep snowy fields in the northern Japanese island of Hokkaido were absolutely beautiful, and her racing shots were always sharp. But it was her artistic images that were unforgettable: the horses running through clouds were my favorites. She had a seemingly never-ending well of creativity that connected with people who love horses.
Miss Imai has been widely honored in Japan for her art, but I don’t think she was in it for the glory or the money (her commercial web site can be found here). She had a passion for the animals,
spending hours upon hours with them to get one special shot. She traveled the world, covering major international races on several continents. In the few extended conversations we had, she always spoke of her subjects with reverence and a heartfelt emotion.
I wish I could say I knew her life story, for I’m sure it was fascinating, but the language barrier always limited us to a greeting, a deep bow from Miss Imai, and a poorly executed bow in return from me. She was ever gracious; 15 years after our first meeting she continued to thank me for a small article I had written about her art in a series in Bloodhorse magazine on the hugely popular Japanese racing industry.
She was a short woman who almost always sported a hat from what appeared to be an unusual collection, and she had a wonderful laugh. The enormous lenses she lugged around on her shoulder almost touched the ground as she moved about, always looking to find the right place to get the perfect shot. She was never in a hurry, yet never seemed to miss anything, either. She was a perfect fit for the Japanese racing industry, whose fans have an intense interest in their Thoroughbred stars, and not just in cashing a winning ticket on them. They bought souvenirs featuring their favorite horses; photos like Miss Imai’s that looked into their soul and captured their personalities.
Miss Imai was well into her 70s when her heart failed her last Tuesday. Fortunately, her work will live on through the art she created over more than 40 years of a life dedicated to horses.
It’s sometimes easy to forget what’s at the heart of this business. In all the talk of medication, integrity, takeout, and the myriad of issues that are dealt with on a daily basis, we cannot lose sight of the fact without that beautiful Thoroughbred, we have nothing.
Hisae Imai knew that as well as anyone I’ve ever met.
Copyright © 2009, The Paulick Report
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Tags: equine photographer, hisae imai, horse photographer, Horse Racing, japanese horse racing, Paulick Report, Ray Paulick, shigeki kikkawa
February 23rd, 2009 at 7:50 am
I had the pleasure of knowing Hisae Imai and her work for many years. I don’t remember how we became aware of her, but Three Chimneys Farm commissioned her to take photos at Three Chimneys which we used in promotional calenders we put out for several years and in our print advertising and she came back and took pictures on the farm for many years. She was all you described in your article and her photographs stunning. I am sorry to learn of her death but glad that you gave her some recognition.
Dan
February 23rd, 2009 at 9:03 am
What a nice article. I wish I had known her. Now, I will know her work.
Diana
February 23rd, 2009 at 9:59 am
RIP Miss Imai
February 23rd, 2009 at 10:09 am
What a great article! Her work is stunning; she was a true artist. Thanks for honoring her memory so nicely.
February 23rd, 2009 at 10:47 am
Ray - Again you’ve captured the true spirit of why we all love horses. I will certainly find as much of her work as I can…always remembering that amid the many problems we face in the entire horse business there was one person who captured the horse in their true beauty.
Thank you again, my friend, for bringing her talents to our attention.
February 23rd, 2009 at 10:51 am
You brought a pack of her post cards for me from Japan in 1993, although I can’t remember hearing any background on the photographer at that time. I have treasured these pictures for all these years and thanks to your page on Miss Imai, I now know about the artist who produced them and can appreciate them even more.
February 23rd, 2009 at 11:02 am
Thank you so much, Ray, for writing about Ms. Imai. I have never met a more interesting person - and, as you mentioned, I wish language had not been a barrier for us.
I’ve not known anyone who could breathe such beauty and life into her photos as did Ms. Imai. You could actually hear the leaves rustle beneath Northern Dancer’s feet in an autumn portrait from Windfields. Seattle Slew never stood taller than he did for her lens. And, with her touch, Northern Taste became a timeless painting.
I’ll miss Ms. Imai very much and am so very grateful for the opportunity - through Shigeki Kikkawa - to have had the chance to know her and be inspired by her.
February 23rd, 2009 at 1:45 pm
You know, you’re kind of a decent sort of fellow aren’t you? What a kind gesture to remember this person. No wonder I come to your site EVERYDAY!!!
February 23rd, 2009 at 2:06 pm
You mentioned wishing you knew her life story. So do I! Google offers fascinating teases.
One website mentions that she was “the female Japanese photographer made famous by her often overtly sexual record of the Sexual Revolution of the 1960s and 1970s.”
Ms. Imai is quoted in another online article: ‘ “Yes, I am a black and white printmaker,” says Hisae Imai. This petite young woman’s talent for black and white printing has helped make her one of Japan’s leading black and white photographers - no small achievement in a male dominated nation where black and white photography is a passion.’
That article mentions that her father was “one of Japan’s prominent portrait black and white photographers.”
A friend collects those old annual photo books of the ‘world’s best photography,’ and Ms. Imai’s photos appear therein at least as far back as 1960.
Such a life.
January 18th, 2010 at 7:47 pm
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