was a Japanese photographer. His work is held in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Naità  was born in Tokyo on 18 April 1938. He graduated from Waseda University in applied sciences and trained as a research scientist.
A keen interest in the folkloric traditions of Japan led him to pursue a career in photography. His work on the ethnological customs of the region of TÃ Âhoku became the focus of his 1970s series: Ba Ba Bakuhatsu (Grandma Explosion).
Early on in his career, Naità  photographed the mummies of Buddhist priests who had died fasting for the salvation of starving farmers in Dewa Sanzan and then started making photographs that focused on the folk religions and ethnology of Tà Âhoku. In this body of work (1968âÂÂ1970), Naità  portrayed itako, female shamans who invoke the spirits of the dead. Female shamanism used to be widespread within Japan; today it is limited to this region where the more esoteric sides of Eastern religion are still practiced. These female shamans photographed starkly by Naità  are celebrating death. They mourn the dead by performing rituals and dancing all night to evoke the spirits of the deceased. These women are exuberant and celebrate death not life. Naità  paid homage to this time-old tradition with his bright flash, graphically illuminating the characters he depicts. As he observed: "The vitality of women comes from the earth. They embrace everything like goddesses and the title Ba Ba Bakuhatsu (Grandma Explosion) came to my mind naturally."
Tà Âno Monogatari (1983) focuses on a similar subject matter in the town of Tà Âno, in Iwate Prefecture. The title echoes that of a popular 1910 book by folklorist Yanagita Kunio. Again using an open flash and mostly working at night, Naità Â's images endow people and objects alike with a mystical aura. He weaves ancient tales into contemporary photographic narratives.
Naità  died on 9 July 2025, at the age of 87.
Naità Â's work is held in the following permanent collection: