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Yuta Shigeno

Yuta Shigeno

Two Encounters in the Night

A manta ray glides through the darkness while a nurse shark rests on the seafloor below. In the same moment, two different lives unfold—one in motion, the other in stillness. In the quiet of the night, two encounters exist side by side.

Underwater

About Artist

Yuta Shigeno

Yuta Shigeno (b. 1991) is a Japan-based underwater photographer who explores and communicates the beauty of the ocean through photography, film, and writing. He began diving in the Izu Peninsula, where he was inspired by the realization that such rich and beautiful marine environments exist so close to home. This experience led him to pursue underwater photography. Shigeno now travels and photographs oceans around the world, with a particular focus on the drift ice-covered waters of Shiretoko, Hokkaido, where he regularly documents life beneath the ice during the harsh winter season. In 2024, he held a solo exhibition at FUJIFILM SQUARE in Tokyo, centered on the drifting ice seas. In addition to his photographic work, he is also active in film and television. He worked as an underwater cinematographer for the film The Color of the Sea Continues in Dreams, set in Shizuoka, appeared on the BS Asahi program Journey Under the Sea, and contributed to a documentary focusing on Steller sea lions. In 2025, he conducted underwater photography in the Arctic region, was featured in National Geographic (USA), and published his photo book Mystical Marine Life Encyclopedia. He continues to expand his work internationally, sharing the unseen beauty of the underwater world.

Yuta Shigeno

Photographic Areas of Focus

Underwater

Location

Japan

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