丹平写真倶楽部

The Tampei Photography Club (丹平写真倶楽部) was a group based in Osaka from 1930 until 1941 that promoted avant-garde and, toward the end, socially concerned photography. The group was founded around the photographer Bizan Ueda, among photographers who bought their supplies from the Tampei Pharmacy (丹平薬局, Tanpei yakkyoku) in Shinsaibashi, Osaka. The founding members included Terushichi Hirai, Kōrō Honjō and Tōru Kōno; these were soon augmented by Kaneyoshi Tabuchi, Nakaji Yasui, and others. The group's first exhibition was held in 1931 but it was the second exhibition, in 1932, that caused a stir, with avant-garde works. The club exhibited frequently; its first exhibition in Tokyo held in 1935. The club's 23rd exhibition, in March 1941, featured a series titled Refugee Jews (流氓ユダヤ, Ryūbō Yudaya) of 22 photographs depicted exiles from eastern Europe who were living in Kobe. Six of these were by Yasui, who had instigated two photography sessions for it earlier that month. The club was forced to close later that year. The club reemerged after the war, but did not regain its prominence.