Esquire Japan June Issue Released ― Theme: “PHOTOS ARE LIFE” ―
Hearst Fujingaho will release the June 2026 issue of 'Esquire JAPAN' on April 30, 2026. The issue, themed "PHOTOS ARE LIFE," explores the essence and power of photography. It features a collaboration between SEVENTEEN's JOSHUA and Audemars Piguet, interviews with prominent Japanese photographers, and a comprehensive special feature covering everything from the world's oldest photograph to the contemporary art scene.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: April 28, 2026 at 20:00
- 🔍 Collected: April 28, 2026 at 11:31
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: April 28, 2026 at 12:18 (46 min after Collected)
Photograph by Pak Bae
Hearst Fujingaho Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and President: Nicolas Floquet) will release 'Esquire JAPAN' No.6 June 2026 on Thursday, April 30, 2026.
Comment from Tomoyuki Kondo, Editor-in-Chief of Esquire Japan:
I was speechless when I saw some data presented at the end of last year. Currently, 54,000 images are generated every second worldwide, and 14 billion images flood social media annually. In an era where everyone is a sender and images are overflowing, we wanted to re-examine the "essence of photography."
Photography is not merely a record. It is an "asset that enriches life," bringing back past moments to the present and stocking values that can only be touched at that instant. In this issue, we looked at the new "scenery" that photography brings to everyday life through the words of leading Japanese artists such as Hiroshi Sugimoto and Daido Moriyama. We hope that by the time you finish reading this issue, a single image sleeping in your library will begin to shine differently than yesterday.
Cover Story
photograph by Pak Bae
JOSHUA (SEVENTEEN) × Audemars Piguet ── Time to Face
Gracing the cover and cover story of this issue is JOSHUA from SEVENTEEN, the group sweeping the world. Adorned with the supreme timepieces of the Swiss luxury watch brand "Audemars Piguet," he unfolds a special photo story that reflects his quiet passion hidden within and his current position as an artist. On set, JOSHUA's delicate sensibility towards the fleeting changes of light and shadow resonated with the mechanical beauty of the watches. Even amidst his busy schedule, his "powerful gaze" captured the moment the camera was pointed at him, serving as a strong visual symbolizing this issue's theme.
Special Feature Theme: PHOTOS ARE LIFE -Photography brings 'scenery'-
In this modern age, where digital technology allows anyone to capture everyday life with a single fingertip, we dare to re-examine the "power of photography."
Opening this special feature is 'View from the Window at Le Gras,' considered the world's oldest photograph, taken by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce between 1826 and 1827. Approximately 200 years after the birth of this single image, this special feature opens against the backdrop of the long history that photographic culture has walked.
The highlights of the special feature are the testimonies of artists who continue to lead the Japanese photography world. It features valuable interviews with iconic photographers of our time, such as Hiroshi Sugimoto, Daido Moriyama, Rinko Kawauchi, and Yoshiyuki Okuyama, who talk about their respective "ways of seeing." Furthermore, starting with 'KYOTOGRAPHIE 2026' held in April 2026, it covers must-see exhibitions such as the much-talked-about 'Hiroshi Sugimoto: Deathless Photographs' and 'Miracle of the Gaze: Adventures of Japanese Women Photographers,' which received high acclaim at the "Rencontres d'Arles International Photography Festival."
This special feature, compiled with the full effort of Esquire Japan, delves into the "essence of photography," intersecting approximately 200 years of archives with the ongoing art scene, while featuring the rise of Japanese women photographers and promising young artists from overseas.
photograph by Melissa Schriek
Hangan - Communal Light──Exposing Tokyo and Edo. The city and body woven by the same light
Exclusively revealed in this issue is a special session with Kabuki actor Hikosaburo Bandō IX, photographed by Melissa Schriek, a notable Dutch photographer. Schriek's rare sensibility, sculpturally capturing the interaction between body and environment, clashes with the body of Hikosaburo Bandō, who embodies traditional aesthetics. Set in the ever-changing modern "Tokyo," it vividly depicts how the aesthetic beauty continuing from the Edo period blends into or stands out in the urban landscape.
Six pages in total, where the poetic incongruity hidden in everyday light resonates with the profoundness of an artist transcending time. A completely new portrait as "scenery" is born, going beyond the framework of conventional Kabuki photography.
photograph by Naoto Usami
The Untold Story ── Another 'TAKE IVY'
'TAKE IVY,' a legendary photo book now deified worldwide as the bible of Ivy fashion. This project will unveil for the first time in Japan photographs that have never been released before, capturing the daily life of the Ivy League on the East Coast of America in the 1960s. David Marks, author of the acclaimed book 'AMETORA,' which sharply analyzes Japanese fashion culture, has been invited to discuss the essence of Ivy.
Hearst Fujingaho Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and President: Nicolas Floquet) will release 'Esquire JAPAN' No.6 June 2026 on Thursday, April 30, 2026.
Comment from Tomoyuki Kondo, Editor-in-Chief of Esquire Japan:
I was speechless when I saw some data presented at the end of last year. Currently, 54,000 images are generated every second worldwide, and 14 billion images flood social media annually. In an era where everyone is a sender and images are overflowing, we wanted to re-examine the "essence of photography."
Photography is not merely a record. It is an "asset that enriches life," bringing back past moments to the present and stocking values that can only be touched at that instant. In this issue, we looked at the new "scenery" that photography brings to everyday life through the words of leading Japanese artists such as Hiroshi Sugimoto and Daido Moriyama. We hope that by the time you finish reading this issue, a single image sleeping in your library will begin to shine differently than yesterday.
Cover Story
photograph by Pak Bae
JOSHUA (SEVENTEEN) × Audemars Piguet ── Time to Face
Gracing the cover and cover story of this issue is JOSHUA from SEVENTEEN, the group sweeping the world. Adorned with the supreme timepieces of the Swiss luxury watch brand "Audemars Piguet," he unfolds a special photo story that reflects his quiet passion hidden within and his current position as an artist. On set, JOSHUA's delicate sensibility towards the fleeting changes of light and shadow resonated with the mechanical beauty of the watches. Even amidst his busy schedule, his "powerful gaze" captured the moment the camera was pointed at him, serving as a strong visual symbolizing this issue's theme.
Special Feature Theme: PHOTOS ARE LIFE -Photography brings 'scenery'-
In this modern age, where digital technology allows anyone to capture everyday life with a single fingertip, we dare to re-examine the "power of photography."
Opening this special feature is 'View from the Window at Le Gras,' considered the world's oldest photograph, taken by Joseph Nicéphore Niépce between 1826 and 1827. Approximately 200 years after the birth of this single image, this special feature opens against the backdrop of the long history that photographic culture has walked.
The highlights of the special feature are the testimonies of artists who continue to lead the Japanese photography world. It features valuable interviews with iconic photographers of our time, such as Hiroshi Sugimoto, Daido Moriyama, Rinko Kawauchi, and Yoshiyuki Okuyama, who talk about their respective "ways of seeing." Furthermore, starting with 'KYOTOGRAPHIE 2026' held in April 2026, it covers must-see exhibitions such as the much-talked-about 'Hiroshi Sugimoto: Deathless Photographs' and 'Miracle of the Gaze: Adventures of Japanese Women Photographers,' which received high acclaim at the "Rencontres d'Arles International Photography Festival."
This special feature, compiled with the full effort of Esquire Japan, delves into the "essence of photography," intersecting approximately 200 years of archives with the ongoing art scene, while featuring the rise of Japanese women photographers and promising young artists from overseas.
photograph by Melissa Schriek
Hangan - Communal Light──Exposing Tokyo and Edo. The city and body woven by the same light
Exclusively revealed in this issue is a special session with Kabuki actor Hikosaburo Bandō IX, photographed by Melissa Schriek, a notable Dutch photographer. Schriek's rare sensibility, sculpturally capturing the interaction between body and environment, clashes with the body of Hikosaburo Bandō, who embodies traditional aesthetics. Set in the ever-changing modern "Tokyo," it vividly depicts how the aesthetic beauty continuing from the Edo period blends into or stands out in the urban landscape.
Six pages in total, where the poetic incongruity hidden in everyday light resonates with the profoundness of an artist transcending time. A completely new portrait as "scenery" is born, going beyond the framework of conventional Kabuki photography.
photograph by Naoto Usami
The Untold Story ── Another 'TAKE IVY'
'TAKE IVY,' a legendary photo book now deified worldwide as the bible of Ivy fashion. This project will unveil for the first time in Japan photographs that have never been released before, capturing the daily life of the Ivy League on the East Coast of America in the 1960s. David Marks, author of the acclaimed book 'AMETORA,' which sharply analyzes Japanese fashion culture, has been invited to discuss the essence of Ivy.