Photo/Illutration Kimiko Nishimoto stands in front of her selfie in Hofu, Yamaguchi Prefecture, on July 2, 2021. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

KUMAMOTO--Kimiko Nishimoto, who found success late in life as a photographer, died at a hospital here from cholangiocarcinoma, bile duct cancer, on June 9. She was 97. 

Though she usually framed herself as the butt of the joke in her works, Nishimoto's campy self-portraits made her a queen among her fans in Japan and abroad.

Nishimoto was born in Brazil and moved to Japan when she was 8. She would reside in Kumamoto Prefecture for the rest of her life.

As an adult, she worked as a hairdresser before becoming a professional cyclist.

She started studying photography at 72. Her humorous self-portraits eventually gained her a following and include a cartoonish setup where Nishimoto is suspended from a laundry pole. 

Shots like this and another of her bundled in a trash bag waiting for collection earned her the nickname "selfie grandma" and more than 380,000 Instagram followers.

Nishimoto held exhibitions of her work in many locations across the country.

She became ill in late May and was hospitalized.

Her funeral will only be attended by family with her eldest son, Kazutami Nishimoto, as the chief mourner.

Kazutami is also an art director and said of his mother, "She lived a happy later life as a photographer surrounded by wonderful people."

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