Photo books help us better understand not only the medium but also the world. While there have been a plethora of publications from the West, it is only in recent years that photographers from the East have begun gaining attention. Each work has contributed immensely to photography with its rich and intricate narrative. Such Japanese photo books not only reveal personal narratives but also collective sentiments. For this reason, we bring you some of the most significant Japanese photo books to help you see the world differently.
All images in this article are screenshots from Amazon.
Table of Contents
Ravens by Masahisa Fukase
Published in 1986, Ravens is a phenomenal book that contributed immensely to photography. The book compiles a decade of Fukase’s documentation of ravens in rural and urban Japan, which showcases them as a sinister figure. However, the book was inspired by Fukase’s divorce and the collective pain felt by individuals post-Hiroshima. The book may give one sense of foreboding, but it goes beyond that; it showcases a time of despair and the country’s resilience in more recent times.
You can purchase the Japanese photo book form here.
A Criminal Investigation by Watabe Yukichi
Termed voyeuristic sometimes, the book showcases an investigation. In 1958, Yukichi was present to photograph a murder investigation near Lake Sembako in Japan. The deceased’s body was disfigured, with their limbs cut off, and so two police officers were sent from Tokyo to decode the killing. The images reveal how Yukichi followed the investigation, but the neo-noir images do not solely depict the probe but also glimpse 1950s Japan.
You can purchase the book here.
Yokosuka Story by Miyako Ishiuchi
Ishiuchi was part of the Provoke movement, which was about being open to experimentation and creating images that were very different from the usual aesthetics of that time. This book follows the same and depicts Yokosuka, a small town in Japan. This Japanese photo book is very different as it depicts how American forces occupied the town and how their culture left a mark on the place. A few images were also exposed in the darkroom for over 30 minutes, depicting experimentation’s true power.
You can purchase the book here.
Halo by Rinko Kawauchi
Unlike any other Japanese photo book on this list, Kawauchi’s work has a sense of tenderness and depicts the beauty of the mundane. Halo showcases three varied themes with the same care: Lunar New Year in China, the coast of Izumo, and birds in England. The photographs weave together a spiritual exploration of our world, the passage of time, and our relationship with nature as part of our traditions and rituals. Seeing her work against the backdrop of the gritty black and white photographs shows how much the country had to endure to finally find peace.
You can purchase the book here.
Black Box by Hiroshi Sugimoto
Working in the 1970s, Sugimoto’s photographs dabble with themes of time, surrealism, and the metaphysical, which are as alluring as they can be confusing. However, for many, he is known as someone who closes the chasm between our everyday lives and questions about human life. An example is Black Box, an iconic work that is a quest of lightning fields and photogenic drawings. The work was created to depict the scientific discoveries in the darkroom. The work, again, is very distinct and looks at the history of photography in a distinct way.
Japanese Photobooks of the 1960s and ’70s
The mid-20th century saw photo books becoming a pivotal medium through which to share one’s artistic vision in Japan beyond the traditional prints. Therefore, when one wants to get a better understanding of Japanese photography, this book will be important to them. It features projects from forty key publications from Eikoh Hosoe, Kiyoishi Koishi, Masahisa Fukase, and many more. If you want a comprehensive look at Japanese photography, then this book will give you that.
You can purchase the book from here.
Farewell Photography by Takuma Nakahira and Daido Moriyama
This book contributed to the postwar photography era in Japan. Published in 1972, it depicts a divergence of traditional aesthetics, featuring high-contrast black-and-white images captured by Moriyama. The images are often abstract and influenced by Jack Kerouac’s On the Road. Nakahira, too, helped develop his grainy and blurry photography. This photo book documents political and cultural shifts in Japan in the late 1960s and depicts the torment many faced in that era.
You can purchase the book here.
Early Summer Nerves by Kiyoshi Koishi
Koishi was an instrumental figure in the country’s pre-war era. In this Japanese photo book, black and white images depict the “less is more” notion. The publication is also paired with poetic text, created using photogram, solarization, and photomontage techniques. While the images have been shot using technology, they are of the natural world using light and shadow. The photographs, only 10 or so in the book, remain an important introduction to Japanese photography.
You can purchase the book here.
We have not been able to include many more photographers yet. However, if you want to introduce yourself to some exceptional works from the East, our list of Japanese photo books is a good place to start.