Parent: Yae Nakano (housewife) / Child: Shigeru Nakano (musician), 1982

“Each parent and child has a unique relationship, however, the bond between a parent and child is universal.”

Parent: Yae Nakano (housewife) / Child: Shigeru Nakano (musician), 1993

The bond between parent and child is something special and perhaps no one knows that better than Bruce Osborn. Based in Tokyo since 1980, the American photographer has dedicated nearly 40 years to his long-term project Oyako. This portrait series shares photographs different sets of parents and children throughout the years to examine how they grow and develop together. It’s a touching look at the evolving relationship between family members and a project that has changed Osborn’s life.

Oyako started in 1982, when Osborn was on assignment for a magazine. He’d been asked to photograph punk musicians, when he decided that it would be interesting to see them next to their parents. Excited by the results he saw, Osborn dove into his new project as a way to discover generational differences and to explore the relationships between Japanese parents and their children.

While Oyako has received significant attention in Japan, it’s only more recently that the rest of the world is discovering Osborn’s project. The ties that bind families cross all cultures, making Oyakoa universal project that resonates well beyond Japan. It’s incredible to see the transformation of Osborn’s models throughout the years, as children turn into adults and parents move from young professionals to retirees.

Staying true to the origins of Oyako, many of the children are punk musicians and it’s interesting to see how this way of life sticks with them through adulthood.[…]

Read More: Photographer Spends 40 Years Documenting Japanese Parents and Kids