Nakayama, Iwata, 1895-1949

Iwata Nakayama (中山 岩太, Nakayama Iwata; August 3, 1895 – January 20, 1949) was a Japanese avant-garde photographer. Nakayama was born in Yanagawa, Fukuoka (Japan). His wife, Nakayama Masako (中山正子) became an English language educator after their years aboard. His father was an inventor who held a patent for a fire extinguisher. Iwata moved to Tokyo and was educated at the private school Kyohoku-Chūgakkō. After graduating, he entered Tokyo University of the Arts as the first student of its photography course. After learning artistic and commercial techniques there, he moved to the United States in 1918 as an overseas student of California State University, sent by the Japanese government. However he quit studying and began to work at a photo studio run by Tōyō Kikuchi (菊池東陽) in New York City.