Photography: Ken-ichi Murata

Japanese photographer and visual artist Murata creates highly detailed photographic stagings which evocatively depict nude models as though they were characters in an erotic fairytale. His enchanting models blithely shed their clothing and reveal their gorgeous nude bodies. What Murata strives to illustrate with these young girls is the image of the hime: an ancient Japanese word which can denote both a feeling of awe and a yearning for women. The conventional meaning of the word “hime” is noble princess. His second photobook too is a virtuosic and fantastic journey into erotic dream worlds.