Tom by Akito Tsuda

This review first appeared in 2016 for Don’t Take Pictures magazine Issue 8

Several years ago I happened across the Japanese photographer Akito Tsuda.

Before returning to his native Japan, Tsuda had spent a number of years in the early 1990s studying in Chicago. Living in the neighborhood of Pilsen, he integrated himself into the community and amassed a wonderful archive of images showing the day-to-day life of neighborhood residents.

I was taken with a group of pictures that Tsuda had separated from the main body of work, entitled simply, Tom. Now, four years later, Tom has been released as a book, Tsuda's second self-published volume looking at the people of Pilsen, Chicago.

This beautiful and moving collection of images takes one man (Tom) as its subject, and documents his life during the artist's stay in the area. There is a freshness to the images that could almost be naive, but Tsuda's wonderful sense of composition and masterful use of light make this a very elegant and accomplished study.

A simple enough premise, and one that has been executed before, however the connection and trust between the two men makes this one of the warmest and most emotional collections of photographs that I have come across.

Tom is widowed and lives alone. His house was destroyed in a fire and he is estranged from his children who live on the other side of the country. Apart from a stray dog whom he has befriended, he is by himself. Tom could easily be any of us. Circumstances can turn on a dime, and we take what and who we have for granted at our own risk.

The images in this book are not only skillfully executed, but could only have happened with a degree of trust and friendship normally reserved for family or the closest of friends. This makes the fact that Tsuda and Tom were brought together by a chance encounter all the more amazing. Quotes from both Tsuda and Tom punctuate the book, intensifying its emotional punch without ever descending into sentimental manipulation.

At a time when aggressive political statements and experimental boundary-pushing techniques seem to be dominating the photobook genre, it is reassuring to know that there is still room for a beautiful piece of human storytelling.

Tsuda is now back in his home country of lapan. He has not had the opportunity to return to the United States, and it is unlikely that Tom is around to see the result of their time together.

I think he would approve.

NB. Since writing, Tsuda’s situation and changed. He has been able to return to Pilsen on a number of occasions. His work has been embraced by the city of Chicago and he is - quite rightly - celebrated as a local hero.