Iwamiya Takeji (1920–1989) was born in Tottori. After graduating from the Yonago School of Commerce and Sericulture, he worked in shipbuilding from 1938 to 1941. He joined the army and was sent to China. On his return, he settled in Osaka, where he established his own studio in 1955. He had been visiting Sado Island since 1954, and his first solo exhibition took place in 1956. He continued to make regular journeys along the west coast. Most of the images were taken in Shukunegi, a small village eight kilometres west of Ogi. His approach to photography is close to Hamaya's Ura Nihon, both in its attention to hardship and to folklore. The images have a strongly pre-industrial, even medieval, atmosphere.