Minamata

W. Eugene & Aileen M. Smith

Official licensing of W. Eugene Smith and Aileen M. Smith’s historic photographs of the industrial mercury pollution disaster in Minamata, Japan.

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Photo by W. Eugene Smith. © Aileen Mioko Smith.

Photos for Media, Exhibition, Education

Photo by W. Eugene Smith. © Aileen Mioko Smith.
Photo by Aileen M. Smith. © Aileen Mioko Smith.
Photo by Aileen M. Smith. © Aileen Mioko Smith.
Photo by W. Eugene Smith. © Aileen Mioko Smith.
Photo by Aileen M. Smith. © Aileen Mioko Smith.
Photo by W. Eugene Smith. © Aileen Mioko Smith.
Photo by W. Eugene Smith. © Aileen Mioko Smith.
Photo by W. Eugene Smith. © Aileen Mioko Smith.
Photo by W. Eugene Smith. © Aileen Mioko Smith.
Photo by W. Eugene Smith. © Aileen Mioko Smith.
Gene and Aileen in Minamata (1972). Photo by Watanabe Eiichi. © Aileen Mioko Smith.

My Life with W. Eugene Smith — Reminiscences
Aileen Smith recalls her time with W. Eugene Smith at the culmination of his career and life experience: “Although the… time was short, it was intense and, to me, feels like a lifetime.” Read more…

Photography is a small voice, at best, but sometimes
—just sometimes—one photograph or a group of them
can lure our senses into awareness. Much depends upon
the viewer; in some, photographs can summon enough
emotion to be the catalyst to thought.
Someone—or perhaps many—among us may be
Influenced to heed reason, to find a way to right that
which is wrong, and may be inspired to the dedication
needed to search for the cure to an illness. The rest of us
may perhaps feel a greater sense of understanding and
compassion for those whose lives are alien to our own.
Photography is a small voice. It is an important voice in
my life, but not the only one. I believe in it.
If it is well-conceived, it sometimes works.
That is why I—and also Aileen—photograph in Minamata.

My Life with W. Eugene Smith — Reminiscences
Aileen Smith recalls her time with W. Eugene Smith at the culmination of his career and life experience: “Although the… time was short, it was intense and, to me, feels like a lifetime.” Read more…

Minamata (1975)

Eugene and Aileen Smith’s photojournalism intimately captured the tragedy of methylmercury poisoning from industrial wastewater in Minamata, Japan. Published in LIFE magazine in 1972 and in the 1975 book, MINAMATA, the photos brought worldwide attention to the corporate crime and the families it impacted.

Minamata, Then & Now
Minamata’s story isn’t over. Learn about the continuing
struggles of the town and its people and ongoing efforts
to stop global mercury pollution. Read more…