The mother, Ryoko Kamimura, agreed to deliberately pose the startlingly intimate photograph with Smith to illustrate the terrible effects of Minamata disease (a type of mercury poisoning) on the body and mind of her daughter Tomoko Kamimura. Upon publication the photo became world-famous, significantly raising the international profile of Minamata disease and the struggle of the victims for recognition and compensation. At the wishes of Tomoko Kamimura's family, the photograph was withdrawn from further publication in 1997, 20 years after Tomoko's death.
The mother, Ryoko Kamimura, agreed to deliberately pose the shockingly intimate photograph with Smith to illustrate the devastating effects of Minamata disease (a type of mercury poisoning) on the body and mind of her daughter Tomoko Kamimura. Upon publication the picture became globally renowned, significantly raising the international profile of Minamata disease and the struggle of the victims for recognition and compensation. At the wishes of Tomoko Kamimura's family, the photograph was withdrawn from further publication in 1997, twenty years after Tomoko's death.