CNN producer Emiko Jozuka is dedicated to preserving the legacy of her father, Formula One photographer Joe Honda
- Emiko Jozuka was never pressured into following her father into photography or motorsports, but his passion organically became her own
- She spends most of her holidays in Japan going through his archive image by image and has curated exhibitions of her dad’s work in Tokyo and Hong Kong
Man without a plan: I was born just outside Tokyo in 1987, but mostly grew up in England, as my dad (pioneering motorsports photographer Joe Honda) wanted a European base for his work. I’m an only child, and from the age of three we lived in Eastbourne, on the south coast. My dad was away a lot, especially during the racing season, so my mum, Michiko Kamishima, looked after me but she also helped him with translation and coordination.
He’d started photographing motorsports events in Japan in the 1960s, caught the bug, and decided to go to Europe as he felt that was the centre of the action. He was operating on a very skinny shoestring, as he had only US$500 and a couple of cameras when he landed, and really didn’t know anybody. He had shipped over his beloved Toyota Corolla, which he subsequently drove all over the continent while covering races. He didn’t have much in the way of a plan, and realised he was being quite reckless, but he was chock-full of determination.
Just my dad: My dad spoke almost nothing except Japanese initially, but motorsports was a pretty tight-knit community then and he was the only Asian around the track, so they took care of him. Over time, he photographed all the major races and star drivers like Ayrton Senna, Niki Lauda, James Hunt and Michael Schumacher. People admired his gritty yet poetic style, which was inspired by the likes of Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Walker and Claude Monet among others.
I wasn’t really conscious of his being well-known – as far as I was concerned he was just my dad. Sometimes when we were in Japan, TV crews would turn up at our house to interview him. Back in Britain, the parents’ of my friends would say they saw him dart across the TV screen as he captured the races during the Formula One seasons, but I didn’t give it much thought.
Shared passion: When I was a child, we’d go back to Japan a couple of times a year, so I wouldn’t forget my roots. I remember helping my dad develop film in his darkroom, but he never made me feel like I had to get involved in photography or motorsports. He wanted me to pursue my own interests and hoped I’d become a lawyer or a professor or a pilot – something with a stable way of life. Yet his passion has now become my own.
Both my parents travelled and lived in many different places around the world. I guess I took after them as I’ve had the opportunity to experience places like Cuba, France, Hong Kong, Spain and Turkey and pick up languages and gain an insight into other cultures.
