Catalogue
2 0 11AKAAKA Art Publishing, Inc. is a publishing house foundedin 2006 by Kimi Himeno, specializing in photobooks byyoung Japanese artists. Japan produces many exceptional
photographers and photography books, and our goal is tomake this culture more accessible to a worldwide audience.
In the five years of our existence, we have produced 75
books. Already, five of these books have won Japanʼ sprestigious Ihei Kimura Photography Award: Lieko Shiga ʼ s“ CANARY ” and Atsushi Okada ʼ s “ I am ” in 2008, Masashi

Asada ʼ s “ Asadake ” in 2009, and Cozue Takagi ʼ s “ MID ” and"GROUND" in 2010. Although we are considered among themost forward-thinking art publishers in Japan, and strive
for the highest possible quality in printing and design, we
also take care to remain conscious of Japanʼ s photographic
history. We always try to expand the possibilities ofphotographic expression through our books.

2

CANARY - MON
Lieko Shiga

CANARY
Lieko Shiga

Art Director : Daishiro MoriArt Director : Daishiro Mori
232 × 270 mm | 120 page413 × 273.5 mm | 80 pagesaddle stitch with coverhardcoverISBN : 978-4-903545-48-6

ISBN : 978-4-903545-21-9

Sold Out & This book will be reprinted.

56 prints mounted
Limited edition of 1000 copies
with edition number and signed

CANARY presents a beguiling body of work by ayoung photographer. The constructed images aresteeped in a world of magical realism charged witha primal and animistic immediacy. The world in
Shiga Lieko's hands seems to be pregnant withdynamism and movement, which at times can also
be threatening. Throughout the work, the viewer
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is prompted to speculate how the photographs
were created. What was her process? What aspects
have been captured by the camera and what has
been adulterated. It seems only fitting that after
the book's re lease, Shiga revisited her work andcreated a limited-edition photobook as a companion,
CANARY-MON. In this smaller volume, she presents

an reading or explanation of each of the images butwith the distance of hindsight. Therefore the plates
themselves, rather than direct reproductions of theorigi nal images, are photographs of the photographs.
These plates are then tipped in and only loosely
adhered to the page, implying tenuousness. The
typography too fades in part from the page. So evenin her meta-text on her own work, the process andwork remains in a state of flux between presence
and non- presence, vibrant color and fading away.
CANARY-MON is encased by a sleeve that cocoons
the single-found binding.

- 2011 AKAAKA

5Asadake
Masashi Asada

NEW LIFE
Masashi AsadaArt Director : Jun Kawana

Art Director : Jun Kawana
257 × 182 mm | 106 page242 × 210 mm | 88 pagesoftcoversoftcoverISBN : 978-4-903545-26-4

ISBN : 978-4-903545-57-8

Asada Masashi was given the prestigious Kimura
Ihei Photography Award in 2008 for this phonebook.
Shot over a period of seven years, Asada-ke isorganized into two halves; one part reads from left
to right, as is standard of western books, while theother half reads right to left, typical of conventional
Japanese books. In the "western" half, the family
is engaged in role play and the "eastern" half, thephotography is more self-referential. Where the two
halves meet at the book's center, there is a shortsection of texts printed on yellow paper. Here, thephotographer addresses the reader, describing
his body of work as "a slightly different take oncommemorative photography." Each of the scenes
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are a planned and staged role play involved each if
the fir family members and the photography itself
becomes the occasion for the family to gather, as
opposed to the photography being an unplannedside-product of a family gathering or event. He
also thanks the reader and explains the role of thephonebook is a token of appreciation to everyone
involved in the process of making the images.
Through and through, the work is warm-hearted andendearing, as any family album would be. A Q&A of
twenty two questions has responses from each of
the four identifying them with the salutations withwhich they address one another: father, moth, older
brother, and younger brother(the photographer).

After publishing his award-winning book “Asadake ”(The Asada Family), Masashi Asada continues touse his immediate family members as his subjects
for “NEW LIFE. ” Asadaʼs trademark style is a highly
staged photograph in which he, his brother and his
parents act out an often comic scene for the camera.
“NEW LIFE ” announces itself as an “Asadake FamilyAlbum, ” and the pages themselves are printed
to look like a regular photo album. There are a
few staged photos, but the subject matter is lessconceptual this time around; Asada moves freely

between staged photos and candid family snapshots.
In particular, Asada dedicates a large section of thebook to his brother ʼs wedding, and the birth andearly months of his newborn cousin. “NEW LIFE ”
is a tender, maybe even sentimental look at Asada ʼs family. At the end of the book, he prints his own
cell phone number, asking readers to contact him
if they ʼd like to have their family portrait taken. It ʼs a friendly gesture that seems to fit with the lightapproach he takes when photographing his own
family.
- 2011 AKAAKA

7

MID
Cozue Takagi

GROUND
Cozue Takagi

Art Director : Shin Akiyama

Art Director : Shin Akiyama
363 × 252 mm | 56 page

160 × 154 mm | 124 pagesoftcover

special binding

ISBN : 978-4-903545-49-3

ISBN : 978-4-903545-50-9

MID and Ground are two separate volumes publishedsimultaneously. The work contained in each of
the two volumes is quite different but both point
toward something dynamic and heady. In MID, thephotographs seem to be the product of a trepidation,
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using the camera flash to step forward carefully inan otherwise pitch black environ. Therefo re only theimmediate vicinity comes into view at any moment,
which in itself provides surprise and disorientation.
Meanwhile, in the smaller Ground, a reddish gold

vision of objects, creatures, and things presents
a world seemingly ungrounded and free-fallingthrough a matrix of textures and contours. The useof a ribbon to bind together the loose sheets also
indicates fluidity and disorientation. Presenting two

such distinct bodies at the same time points to thelarge trajectory of evolution Takagi seems to be on,moving through different modes of expression.

- 2011 AKAAKA

9BIRTH
Seiji Shibuya

DANCE
Seiji Shibuya

Art Director : Kazuya Kondo

Art Director : Kazuya Kondo
285 × 320 mm | 132 page285 × 300 mm | 172 page

hardcoverdouble jacket

ISBN : 978-4-903545-24-0

ISBN : 978-4-903545-66-0
Sold Out & This book will be reprinted.

“BIRTH ” is a deceptively simple book, collecting
10 years ʼ worth of Seiji Shibuya ʼs photographs. The
book is ordered chronologically, and separated
geographically, so that each of the book ʼs six
sections represents a different time and place. Thereis a particular focus on nature and music: forests
in Japan and America sit alongside photographs
10of recording studios in Europe, as well as a seriesof portraits of the musician Robert Wyatt. Despite
these broader themes, Shibuya does not claim
any grand meaning for the photographs in “Birth”:
it seems that he ʼs just looking for, and finding,
moments of unforced beauty.

“DANCE ” is a book of vibrant color photos,
created out the entire archive of Seiji Shibuya ʼsphotographs, including ones he ʼd actually forgotten
about. Editing this book took roughly one year
to edit, and the sequencing of the book is one ofits strong points. Many of the photos in “DANCE”
deal with natural elements, and there are a few
different sections of the book which riff on the same
subject, like fire, or flowers: we see six or sevenimages in a row, taken from similar but slightly
different perspectives. Aside from this unique
editing technique, there are a number of striking
snapshots which can stand on their own. Someof the images are vague, but they are balancedout by the other photos with exceptionally strong
composition. “DANCE” is printed in a large format,
on a paper with a slightly rough texture, which
complements the work exceptionally well.
- 2011 AKAAKA

11

Storm Last Night
Nao Tsuda
Art Director : Yuri Suyama
360 × 180 mm | 96 page
hardcoverISBN : 978-4-903545-65-3

In “Storm Last Night, ” Nao Tsuda continues tocreate landscape photography which is motivatedby a mystical concept rather than a simple desire to
photograph nature. The photos in this book - which
is printed in a unique panoramic format ̶were all
shot in Ireland, where Tsuda ʼs own grandfather had
lived for a time. Upon finding a series of photos of
his grandfather, which had been pasted together
in such a way as to resemble a panorama, he felt
motivated to shoot panoramic photos of the country.
Tsuda ʼs panoramas show unpeopled landscapes ofand around Ireland ʼs stunning coastline; he wanted

SMOKE LINE
Nao Tsuda

Art Director : Shin Akiyama
374 × 297 mm | 64 page
hardcoverISBN : 978-4-903545-36-3

At first glance, “SMOKE LINE ” appears to be asimple book of landscape photographs, albeit
with the twist that each spread consists of two
photographs which combine to create a panorama
effect. The field of vision of these pairs usually
overlaps, perhaps mimicking the way that humaneyes take in visual information. The content of
Tsuda ʼs landscapes ranges from meadows to foggy
mountains to the desert. The last half of the book,though, begins to hint at the experience behind
this work: we see a shaman, some people sitting
in a stone dwelling, a man in a turban. In his text
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Sold Outfollowing the photographs, Tsuda explains that thesephotos were taken in remote areas China, Moroccoand Mongolia. He feels that there is a kind of “windbelt ” encompassing the globe, which unites regionsof the world. He goes on to describe his almost
mystical encounters with the people who guided him
through these places far from modern civilization.
In this way, “SMOKE LINE ” becomes less a book of“ landscape photography ” and more of a mysterious
travelogue.
Includes English translations of text by thephotographer.

Coming Closer
Nao Tsuda

Art Director : Shin Akiyama + Daishiro Mori
114 × 176 mm | 200 pagesoftcover (with 4types of obi)
ISBN : 978-4-903545-45-5

to consider the ruggedness of this landscape in
relation to the possibility of shelter offered by thefortresses. In a statement at the end of the book, hesays that when shooting the work for “Storm Last
Night, ” he was thinking of the following question:“What were the ideological issues of the ancients? ”
This is certainly a large thought to keep in mind
when viewing the photographs, but it shows Tsuda ʼsbroad ambition for his work.
Includes English translation of text by thephotographer.

This title, published in 2009, is a revised edition of Nao Tsudaʼs firstbook, which was published in 2004 with hiromiyoshii. “Coming Closer”
was a kind of study for the landscape work which he would develop
fully with “SMOKE LINE,” published by Akaaka in 2008. In his books,
Tsuda often shows the viewer multiple views of the same scene,taken from a similar perspective. Where “SMOKE LINE” is large andcolorful, though, “Coming Closer” is an almost miniature, more playful
effort. The book opens with a sequence of color photos printed on
glossy paper, but the majority of the book consists of black and whitephotos printed on a matte stock. The book ʼs small format means that
Tsudaʼs landscapes arenʼt at all grandiose, but seeing three or four ofthem together on one spread makes for a strangely pleasant viewing
experience.
Includes English translations of text by the photographer.
- 2011 AKAAKA

13

sakuraenji

akabenimomokasumikinariyamabukikiochiba

torinokoyanagizome

komidorikoichaainezuhanaasagi

sora

fujimurasaki

suzu

sumi

kamenozoki

sumireSWISS
Yurie Nagashima
Art Director : Bunpei Yorifuji
215 × 290 mm | 214 page
hardcover (20 colors)
ISBN : 978-4-903545-59-2"No matter how grand the vision, when a person
thinks of something the image that he sees is no
more than the trifling and ordinary scene that heis so accustomed to - as one's bedroom." From theartist's statement accompanying the exhibition of
SWISS+.
In 2007, Nagashima participated in an artists
residence program in the Village Nomade of
Switzerland and the photographs she made at thattime are reproduced in this volume, which are offlowers along with views of her residence and herson. The images were inspired by a set of flower
photographs she found in a box of her recently
deceased grandfather's home. The photographs inthat box were made by her grandmother twentyfiv e years prior. Nagashima's work is characterized
14

by her documentation of her family. Through thepictures of flowers and her diaristic entries, she has
found a new means of creating a document of her
family despite the separation of time and distance.
Wedged into the pages randomly - not unlike ascrapbook - are airline tickets, memos, and blank
sheets of craft paper. The sense of shuffle and easy
re-ordering dispenses with linear narrative in favorof an accidental, open-ended reading. This makes
the book's art direction and design are integral
components of the project, blending together visualand text elements with found matter. Her diary-style
entires are printed on tracing paper and seem to be
typed out with a typewriter with keys out of register.
The deliberate slowness of the book's aesthetic isthe vehicle for presenting the photography.

- 2011 AKAAKA

15

YoakeYu Yamauchi

Kando
Harumichi Saito

Art Director : Bunpei Yorifuji

Art Director : Kazuya Kondo
295 × 225 mm | 96 page285 × 220 mm | 140 pagesoftcoversoftcoverISBN : 978-4-903545-64-6

ISBN : 978-4-903545-75-2
Sold Out & This book will be reprinted.

To create “Yoake,” Yu Yamauchi lived on the summitof Mt. Fuji for almost five months straight - four
years in a row. During this time, almost two anda half years, Yamauchi photographed the sunrise(“Yoake”) from this point nearly 3000m above sea
level. The results of this effort are often spectacular:at times the photographs almost seem to show analien world, full of brilliant yellows, searing oranges,
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and radiant blues. But this book is not just about
showing a beautiful scenery which is far removed
from our daily lives. By reaching a point as far awayfrom the earth - and as close to outer space - aspossible, Yamauchi asks the viewer to c onsider thefragility of their own existence. The unique printingof the book features a dust jacket which folds out
into a full-size poster.

Harumichi Saito, winner of Canon ʼs New Cosmos of
Photography Award, is one of the most remarkable
young photographers in Japan. Many of his
photographs are of disabled people, or of minorities
within Japanese society. His photos overflow
with light and clarity, as he draws a dignity andradiance out of his subjects, which are not limited

just to people: he also photographs animals andlandscapes. As a photographer, Saito ʼs distinguishingfeature is the way he faces his subject directly,
which allows the viewer to experience the pure
beauty of his photographs. His works express aliving, breathing world beyond all classifications orboundaries.
- 2011 AKAAKA

17

I don't sleep
Aya Fujioka

Art Director : Eiji Sakagawa

Art Director : Hikari Machiguchi

370 × 245 mm | 96 page

245 × 210 mm | 88 page

hardcoversoftcoverISBN : 978-4-903545-53-0

ISBN : 978-4-903545-14-1

Aya Fujiokaʼs "I don't sleep" condenses photographs taken over five
years into a book with a coherent story. The beginning of the bookestablishes Fujioka's pure photographic talent, where the large
size of the book complements her carefully balanced snapshots.
These photos appear to be taken more or less at random, but slowly
Fujioka begins to reveal the events happening around her. A unique
way of sequencing photographs brings the viewer closer to Fujiokaʼ
s world, and in turn helps to explain the bookʼs title. Fujioka's
strength as a photographer is clear throughout the book, but "I
don't sleep" is not just an aesthetic expression. It's an unflinching,
deeply personal reflection on family ties. Includes English
translations of a short text by Aya Fujioka and a biographical note.

Ballistics
Koichi Kuroda

364 × 257 mm | 112 page
hardcover
Art Director : Hideki Nakajima
ISBN : 978-4-903545-34-9“Ballistics ” is an abstract meditation on the violence and tension
hidden in everyday life. At times, Kuroda ʼs color photographs
depict street scenes, with special attention paid to children. In
other places, his eye turns to urban emptiness, where he studies
the patterns of lines and shadows. Towards the end of the book,
Kuroda ʼs photographs hint at the title, as he photographs theflight patterns over the Gotemba base located in Shizuoka, Japan.
Kuroda shot this work over a period of about 10 years, in locations
all over the globe: Sao Paulo, New York, Toronto, Tokyo. Taken asa whole, the work conveys Kuroda ʼs experience of these places tothe viewer.

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I am
Atsushi Okada

To make this book, Atsushi Okada took photos of about 50 young
women from all over Japan who responding to an open call to visit his
studio in Tokyo. Though his subjects all mutilate themselves in someway, the portraits are meant as a larger comment on contemporary
life. Okada shot everyone against a plain white background, whichallows the power of his subjects to come through more clearly. The
women are posed differently, but Okada always creates an intimate
connection with the viewer: sometimes they look directly into thecamera, somet imes theyʼre nude, and sometimes we can only see
their scarred arms. “I am” is nothing if not a striking work. It washonored with the 2008 Ihee Kimura Photography Award.
Includes English translation of the photographer ʼs afterword.

Sold Out & This book will be reprinted.

Aisatsu
Shinryo Saeki
Art Director : Hikari Machiguchi
224 × 276 mm | 100 page
hardcoverISBN : 978-4-903545-46-2

Shinryo Saeki ʼs “Aisatsu ” means “greetings ” in Japanese, andthe book presents itself quite boldly. The cover and binding of
the book is all bright red and white, colors which have a specificmeaning In Japanese culture: life and death. This motif is reflected
throughout the book, not only through images with strong red andwhite elements, but also the juxtaposition of images dealing withthese themes. A baby crawls through a house on one page, whilea funeral procession walks by on the next. Perhaps it ʼs because
he is a monk that he ʼs able to think so clearly, and at times almost
humorously, about these questions. Saeki shows a light, humantouch in dealing with these heavy topics. The color photos in“Aisatsu ” are a refreshing look at life and death in Japan.
- 2011 AKAAKA

19

cell
Taiji Matsue

HOTEL FAREAST
Kazuhiko Washio

Art Director : Issay Kitagawa
Art Director : Shin Akiyama
260 × 260 mm | 108 page
hardcover

257 × 184 mm | 96 pagesoftcoverISBN : 978-4-903545-52-3

ISBN : 978-4-903545-35-6
Though it is a truism that photography - in its momentariness and stillness - allows the viewer to see information
and relationships that would otherwise go unnoticed. With the advent of digital photography, the levels to whichdata is recorded allow for a complex matrix of information layers. Within this, how we view the image - where webring our attention - can trump the totality of the photog raph itself. In this body of work, Matsue Taiji uses what
he calls "super trimming" to excise out one part of his photographs thereby constraining our attention on a certain
square of information, which he in this context is a "cell," the smallest component denomination. In the book's
accompanying text, photo critic Shimizu Minoru says, "There is a feeling that what we can see at present is only asmall portion of the total potential visual data." Nonetheless, there is an intentional avoidance of specificity. While
the poses and gestures are discernible, the details of the faces remain just beyond identification. What results thenis a form of topology of humans and their environments, allowing us a moment to see ourselves as small specs quite
unaware that we are being watched from a distance; watched by either someone or something depending on the trim.
In lieu of page numbers, the title (or code) for each plate appears in minuscule type placed in the exact verticalcenter of the image, subtly reinforcing the position and alignment of axes.
Includes English translations of dialogue between the photographer and Minoru Shimizu, a critic.

SKYFISH
Munemasa Takahashi

Art Director : Takashi Tsukaharasight
Yoko Asakai

Art Director : Junya Handa

205 × 270 mm | 100 page215 × 250 mm | 100 pagesoftcoversoftcoverISBN : 978-4-903545-56-1

ISBN : 978-4-903545-68-4

Munemasa Takahashi is a native and resident of Tokyo, but"SKYFISH" shows his desire to encounter the outdoors. In a directway, this work is about the experience of photographing nature,
as we sometimes see Takahashi ʼs camera-bearing friends exploring
remote landscapes. In one case, a friend is lying down on his backunder a waterfall, already completely drenched, but still pointing
his camera up to the sky. It's an image that sums up the daring
attitude to travel on display here. This book will certainly interest
anyone who ʼs wanted to experience the vastness of nature.
Includes a biographical note in English.

20

Around the time of the 2002 World Cup, a number of cheap hostels
for foreign tourists were built in the northeast of Tokyo, around
Sanya, a neighborhood most known for its population of day
laborers. Over the course of five years, Kazuhiko Washio spenttime talking with and photographing the guests staying at one ofthese hostels. In the text for his book, he describes conversing withthese people, until he forgot about the hostel itself, and ”all thatwas left was a naked presence.” In the photographs, we often see
the travelers in a quiet moment, sometimes looking clearly at thecamera. Washio records the date and home country of the subject,when available. “HOTEL FAREAST” is a simple meditation on how
people can slow down, even while on the go.
Includes English versions of texts by the photographer and writer
Natsuki Ikezawa.

Yoko Asakai's "sight" is a series of portraits, taken around the world, ofpeople watching movies at home. Asakai never reveals the screen, so
finding out which movie the subjects are actually watching can provoke
surprise, if not humor. Those five uncomfortable-looking Europeans?
They're watching "The Seventh Seal," of course. What's got that older
Japanese woman on the edge of her seat? "Babe." Meanwhile, a Korean
man watches "Evangelion 1.11 - You Are (Not) Alone" - alone. Asidefrom these simple pleasures, the work explores the relationship between
looking and being looked at. Asakai takes these portraits when her
subjects are in a moment of complete concentration on the screen.
They appear to be unaware of the camera, which sets up a complex
relationship between the viewer and the viewed. English text includedin this book: information about each photograph (date, location, film),
full list of acknowledgements and subject credits, text by Shihoko Iida.
- 2011 AKAAKA

21

Line 13
Yuhki Touyama

Art Director : Hikari Machiguchi

Art Director : Hikari Machiguchi

297 × 180 mm | 112 page

258 × 300 mm | 132 page

hardcoverhardcoverISBN : 978-4-903545-37-0

ISBN : 978-4-903545-70-7

Yuhki Touyama was born in 1983, which makes her part of a newgeneration of female Japanese photographers. Like some of her
peers, she documents her personal life through photography, but
she uses this format as a platform to express something deeper.
She explores youth, friendship, sexuality, family and urban living,
all in a serious yet un-dramatic way. It ʼs clear that Touyama
is observing, not performing, and her muted black and whitephotographs suit this tone well. Touyama published “Line13” at 25,
but it ʼs a statement well beyond her years.

GOOD LUCK CHINAERICArt Director : Jun Kawana
297 × 280 mm | 138 page
hardcoverISBN : 978-4-903545-38-7

ERIC was born in Hong Kong to a Chinese mother, but he did
not visit China until 2005, when he took the pictures that would
become “GOOD LUCK CHINA.” Although ERIC cannot speak
Mandarin, he says that he felt a special connection with the Chinese
people as he photographed them̶something heʼd never felt before,
even after photographing people all across the world. The photos
in “GOOD LUCK CHINA” are masterful candid portraits of one ormore people, shot in rich color. (It may not be an accident that
thereʼs red in almost every photo.) ERIC takes the same direct lookat people throughout China, including far-flung locations like Tibet
and Inner Mongolia, as well as Beijing, which was in preparation forthe 2006 Beijing Olympics. The large size of “GOOD LUCK CHINA”
complements his 6x7 shots well.
Includes an English translation of text by the photographer.
22

SMOKEY MOUNTAIN
Keisuke Nagoshi

Keisuke Nagoshiʼs “SMOKEY MOUNTAIN” is the result of 10 years of photographing the life around an enormous garbage dump in Manila which isinhabited by thousands of people. Over his many trips to Smokey Mountain,
Nagoshi became close to the people living there, and lived for a time as asquatter in the area. This real human connection comes through strongly
in his work: heʼs able to document the reality of this place without simply
trying to shock the viewer. At times, Nagoshiʼs photographs approach analmost classical black and white snapshot aesthetic, while at other times
he uses a simpler style to show an event, or someoneʼs face. More than justdocumenting the facts of life in Smokey Mountain, these photographs show
the atmosphere, and even the beauty of this place. The conditions in Smokey
Mountain are harsh, but Nagoshi offers a carefully considered perspective on
the way that people live and die in these conditions.
Includes English translations of texts by editor Fumihiro Hayashi and the photographer.

The Night Is Still Young
Tomoaki Hatake

Art Director : Hikari Machiguchi
185 × 230 mm | 108 pagesoftcoverISBN : 978-4-903545-60-8“The Night Is Still Young ” is a collection of photos documenting
the drag queen scene in and around Osaka. Hata takes the viewer
through the full drag queen experience, from preparation to
performance to private (and party) time. Still, the focus of thebook is on performance, and he photographed a wide range ofdrag queens on stage. Drag queen culture is an undergroundphenomenon in Japan - even Osaka is not San Francisco - but“The Night Is Still Young ” is a colorful look at this scene whichhighlights the pride of its members.
Includes a text (Japanese only) written by curator Eric C. Shiner.

- 2011 AKAAKA

23

LENSMAN
Gentaro Ishizuka

NEW DIMENSION
Naoki Ishikawa

Art Director : Young And Robot

Art Director : Junichi Tsunoda
238 × 180 mm | 332 page

260 × 346 mm | 100 pagesoftcoversoftcoverISBN : 978-4-903545-18-9

ISBN : 978-4-903545-42-4“New Dimension” is the result of Naoki Ishikawaʼs incredible effort

to photograph a series of related cave paintings scattered acrossthe globe. Between 2000-2007, he traveled to traveled to Hokkaido(Japan), France, Norway, Algeria, India, Australia, America, Mexicoand Patagonia (Chile/Argentina) in search of these paintings. He
returned with rich color photographs not just of the cave paintings
themselves, but of their modern context. Ishikawa has an eyefor detail which communicates a sense of place; in this way he isable to show the relationship between the cave paintings and thecultures which have grown up around them. “New Dimension” isthus an artistic study, a travelogue and also a meditation on thedevelopment of human civilization.
Includes English translation of texts by the photographer, art
historian and critic Toshiharu Ito and critic Shino Kuraishi.

Sold OutIn a statement that accompanies “LENSMAN,” Gentaro Ishizuka relates that,while photographing in remote Arctic regions, he felt the need to photograph his
hometown of Tokyo. Thinking about the desire to see his daily reality represented on
the page, he writes: “the light of a former time, places from before, here and there
and everywhere, all laid out in a way where I can look back on these places I walkby everyday with a completely different view. ” So “LENSMAN” is not just a book ofphotographs of Tokyo, but a kind of experiment for Ishizuka to remind himself ofwhat his own experience of the city was like. As a result, the photographs tend to
focus on the minute details of his experience: the small bits of light reflected off ofa book, patterns in the uniforms of security guards, the three knobs of a darkroom
enlarger. At times the photographs are of almost terrifyingly close objects, and thebook ʼs oversized format also contributes to this sometimes otherworldly feeling.
Includes English translation of a statement by the photographer.

VERNACULAR
Naoki Ishikawa

126 POLAROID
Various Artists
Art Director : Junya Handa

Art Director : Tatsuya Ariyama

182 × 257 mm | 160 page

185 × 245 mm | 576 pagesoftcover with slipcase

softcoverISBN : 978-4-903545-62-2

ISBN : 978-4-903545-39-4
above: Hiroshi Sugimoto

Concieved while shooting his book “NEW DIMENSION, ” Naoki Ishikawa ʼs“VERNACULAR ” studies the architectural patterns of native communities

scattered across the globe. To produce this book, Ishikawa visited remoteareas of France, Benin, Ethiopia, Peru, Bolivia and Canada. By examining
the way that the communities in these areas build their houses, Ishikawa
finds a way to understand how a culture develops in relation to its own
land. Ishikawa sees houses as a physical, “VERNACULAR ” expression of
how these cultures function. Yet this book is not just a catalog of houses
from around the world. While the houses are shot in a similar way - facing
the viewer head-on - Ishikawa also shows a looser style in documenting
the contemporary cultures themselves.
Includes English translation of a text by the photographer.
24This special volume, published in conjunction with a 2010 exhibition at the
Yokohama Museum of Art, was intended to commemorate the end of Polaroid film.
In addition to showing Polaroids from a wide range of Japense photographers,“126 Polaroid” includes four essays (translated into English) which look back on
the legendary format. Some of the most influential photographers in Japan are
represented in this book, including Hiroshi Sugimoto, Nobuyoshi Araki and Daido
Moriyama. While it eventually came to light that Polaroid film would be produced
by a third party, “126 Polaroid” is an important meditation on the way that thistechnology has affected the development of photography as a medium. Marvellingat the way that so many different photographers could be brought together forthis project “without a hitch,” critic Kotaro Iizawa writes: “I can only conclude that
there must be some sort of strange and astounding magnetic field acting upon the
movement surrounding Polaroid photography. ” Incldues English translations of texts bymuseum director Akira Tatehata, professor Sakumi Hagiwara and critics Kotaro Iizawa and Shino Kuraishi.
- 2011 AKAAKA

25

SEX
Miki JoArt Director : Hideki Nakajima

Art Director : Rosou Design Office

303 × 402 mm | 48 page

200 × 200 mm | 56 page

hardcoverhardcoverISBN : 978-4-903545-01-1

ISBN : 978-4-903545-02-8

Readers expecting something literal from Miki Jo ʼs “SEX” will
be disappointed: the book is a study of the movement of water.
“SEX ” is an extremely large book, which highlights the power ofthe waves that Jo photographs. Perhaps in showing the rushing ofan ocean wave, or in plunging beneath the surface of the water tocapture a turbulent image, we can find some relation between thebook ʼs title and its content. It seems possible that the photographs
in this series represent Jo ʼs idealized vision of sex. In this way, thedifferent states of water - sometimes powerful, sometimes at rest represent a highly poetic vision.

AnnyonMiki JoArt Director : Gento Matsumoto
255 × 162 mm | 92 pagesaddle stitch
ISBN : 978-4-903545-47-9

The photos in “Annyon” all come from Miki Jo ʼs first trip to
Korea, which she took in 2006. This journey was significant for Jo
because she is a Japanese-born Korean. While she was pregnant,she felt that it would be a good time for her to discover her
roots. The photos in “Annyon” show many of the details of hertrip, including ticket stubs, images on television and meals. This
personal style brings the viewer close to her own experience.
While in Korea, Jo was actually able to meet one of her relatives,in an unexpected, almost miraculous way. Through this relati ve,
she saw an early copy of her family registry, an event whichis represented in the book. “Annyon” can be seen as a wellrealized document of Jo ʼs travels, but it also hints at her deeper
motivations for wanting to visit Korea in the first place.
26

MASQUERADE
Tomoko Sawada“MASQUERADE” is a series of self-portraits in which Tomoko Sawada completelychanges her makeup and hairstyle for each photograph. Still, although she becomesa different woman on every page, these self-portraits always maintain the conceptof “outside and inside.” All of the photographs fit a particular type: Sawadaʼs clothes
and heavy makeup, as well as the way the photographs are shot, make them look
like photographs of hostesses which would be displayed outside a “kyabakura” club,
most likely in one of Japanʼs seedier neighborhoods. While a “kyabakura” club is
not a brothel, itʼs a place where men pay money to talk to and drink with women
who are made up in the exact style that Sawada has chosen. Sheʼs gone as far as tocompletely whiten her face, which heightens the difference in hairstyle and makeup
from one photo to the next. While “MASQUERADE” could be read as a comment
on Japanese culture, itʼs also a masterfully executed performance. This book won
the 2003 Ihei Kimura Photography Award, while Tomoko Sawada won the 2004
International Center of Photography Infinity Award (Young Photographer category).

Haha Love
Hideka Tonomura

Art Director : Hideki Nakajima
264 × 208 mm | 134 page
hardcoverISBN : 978-4-903545-33-2

Hideka Tonomuraʼs "Haha Love" is an intimate portrait of thephotographerʼs mother, split into two distinct halves. The first part,shot in black and white, shows Tonomuraʼs mother in bed witha lover. Tonomura obscures the lover, which brings the viewerʼs attention right to her motherʼs face. These photographs weredifficult to take, and although there are elements of pain andcomplicity here, the series is intended as a statement of affection.
In the second half, shot in color, we see her mother counting money,
which was for a loan that needed to be paid back. Clearly, each parthas a certain amount of tension, and the book taken as a whole is anintense exploration of the photographerʼs immediate family.
Nobuyoshi Araki writes the Obi.
- 2011 AKAAKA

27

Yasuzo Nojima
Yasuzo Nojima

Art Director : Ivan Vartanian

Memoires 1983
Seiichi Furuya

Art Director : Seiichi Furuya

186mm × 258mm | 192 page

228 × 193 mm | 312 page

hardcoversoftcoverISBN : 978-4-903545-43-1

ISBN : 978-4-903545-03-5

This is the first monograph dedicated to the work of Yasuzo
Nojima, one of the most important figures of early Japanesephotography. The present volume includes faithful reproductionsof Nojima's gum, bromoil and gelatin silver prints, spanning 1910
to 1949. Through the 1920s, Nojima worked in the prevailing
pictorial style, but starting from the 1930s his work took a moreexperimental turn. Nojim a also co-founded the magazine "Koga,"which had a profound influence on the course of photography inJapan. This is an essential book for anyone with an interest in thehistory of Japanese photography.

Japanese Photobooks ofthe 1960 s and '70s

“Memoires 1983 ” takes the reader through the entire year of
1983, in chronological order, using the photographs of Seiichi
Furuya and the corresponding journal entries of his late wife
Christiane. The reason for choosing 1983 is that it was in thisyear in which Furuya began to notice the sympto ms of Christiane ʼs depression, which would eventually lead to her suicide in 1985.
Furuya felt that, with some greater distance from these events,
it was important to show his photographs and Christiane ʼs words
together. Furuya ʼs photographs tend to show his daily life inAustria, focusing on Christiane and their young son. It ʼs now
difficult to see them as anything but signals of the cruel fact thatthe two people were heading on different paths.
Christiane Gösslerʼs diary entries appear in the original German and Japanese.

INNOCENCE
Miyako Ishiuchi

Ryuichi Kaneko, Ivan Vartanian
Art Director : Shoji Yuka

212 × 280 mm | 90 pagesoftcoverhardcoverISBN : 978-4-903545-44-8

ISBN : 978-4-903545-12-7

During the 1960s and '70s in Japan, the photobook ̶through a combination of excellence in design, printing,and materials - overtook prints as a popular mode of artistic dissemination. This process has expanded to an
extent where any discussion of Japanese photography now has to include the book work. Today, the most
famous works - such as Nobuyoshi Araki's Sentimental Journey and Eikoh Hosoe's Man and Woman - continue
to inspire artists internationally.
Japanese Photobooks of the 1960s and '70s presents forty definitive publications from the era, piecing together
an otherwise invisible histor y that has played out in tandem with photography as a medium. Included aresome of the most influential works along with forgotten gems, placed within a larger historical and sociologicalcontext. Each book, beautifully reproduced through numerous spreads, is accompanied by an in-depth
explanatory text and sidebars highlighting important editors, designers, themes, and periodicals. Lavishly
produc ed, this unique publication is an ode to the distinct character and influence of the Japanese photobook.

28

Art Director : Hideki Nakajima

232 × 306 mm | 192 page

“INNOCENCE ” is a unique book of photographs, portraits of sorts that
Miyako Ishiuchi took of scars on women ʼs bodies. We never see the facesof her subjects, only the marks which remain on their bodies. These
black-and-white photos have been processed to make the contrast quite
neutral, leaving little difference between the subject ʼs skin, which is lit
only by natural light. For Ishiuchi, these scarred bodies represent a kindof purity. In a text which accompanies the book, and has been translated
into English, Ishiuchi states: “just as self, individuality and the like when
piled on the plate of time seem silly and inconsequential, so youth and age,
beauty and ugliness on the surface of the body are pretty much just twosides of the same coin. ” “INNOCENCE ” is a carefully considered study ofthe female body, from a perspective which is not often represented.
- 2011 AKAAKA

29

Aus den Fugen
Seiichi Furuya“Aus den Fugen” is a book shot over almost 30 years of Seiichi Furuyaʼ

SOL
ARIKO

s life. It includes many photographs Austria, where he now lives. He
met an Austrian woman, Christine Gossler, and they eventually married

Art Director : Hideki Nakajima
174 × 240 mm | 92 pagesoftcoverlater, and this event has dramatically shaped Furuya ʼs approach toform of clouds, mist, or hot springs. Through Arikoʼs lens, the Icelandic

photography. The book is largely made up of snapshots, some of whichlandscape appears as a sometimes rugged but always beautiful

are abstract, while others show Christine. The mixture of photographs

phenomenon. Her photographs show that she ʼs not just looking at itfrom his time with Christine and the time after her death makes “Ausden Fugen” a poignant meditation on loss.
Includes English translation of a text by filmmaker and curator Masashi
Kohara.

ISBN : 978-4-903545-10-3

short hope
Maki Miyashita

deep connection with nature; people only appear a couple of times
here. Thereʼs particular attention paid to water, whether itʼs in theand had a child. However, Christine committed suicide only a few years

Sold Out"SOL" is the result of a series of journeys that Ariko took to Iceland,
over the course of five years. The photographs in this book show acoldly, but attempting to transmit her own experience of it.
Art Director : Junichi Tsunoda
208 × 225 mm | 80 page
hardcoverISBN : 978-4-903545-27-1“Short hope” is the result of three years that Maki Miyashita spent

19Rooms
Naoki Tsuruta

photographing the novelist Novala Takemoto. Itʼs an intensely private
look at his life - the first photograph shows the outside of his apartment“19 Rooms” is a book of glamourous photos of some of Japanʼs mostpopular actresses of recent years. Itʼs a “best hits” of shots that Naoki
Tsuruta took while shooting for magazines. The subjects (of which

door, and many of the photos were shot inside. Miyashita focuses on

there are 19) are always posed in a room, hence the title of the book.

many of the details of Takemoto ʼs room, which offers some insight into

Tsuruta ʼs alluring photos bring out the most attractive qualities of these

the character of this writer and musician whoʼs also a pioneer of thewomen. The photos on display here represent some of the highest

recently popular “Gothic” and “Lolita” fashion trends. His apartment

achievement in fashion, styling and makeup possible in Japan today.

is strewn about with gothic accessories, figurines, paintings, clothes,
Art Director : Milky Isobe
182 × 257 mm | 100 pagesoftcoverISBN : 978-4-903545-13-4

EYES
Hiroshi Nomura

shoes and books. It ʼs not particularly romantic, and when we see
Takemoto outside he doesnʼt look all that comfortable. Despite focusing
on a single celebrity, “Short hope” is far from a mindless celebration of
Takemotoʼs genius. Itʼs a direct and sometimes difficult portrait of his
existence.

Art Director : Yuta Nakajima
227 × 295 mm | 92 page
hardcoverISBN : 978-4-903545-51-6“EYES” announces itself as a book of “Art works by Hiroshi Nomura.”

Inochi no chibusa

The works in this book are color photographs of everyday scenes, to- 19 Survivors of Breast
Cancer and Reconstructive
Surgery -which two simple black-and-white plastic “eyes” have been added. This
small gesture makes something like a drinking glass appear just a little
bit different̶itʼs impossible to see it as just a glass. An external hard

Photographs bydrive seems to lurk next to a nearby monitor and desktop computer,

Nobuyoshi Araki

while a blade of grass turns into a strange sort of insect. “Eyes” is a
Includes English translation of text by the artist.

Art Director : Yuta Nakajima

210 × 297 mm | 64 page

182 × 257 mm | 108 pagesoftcoversoftcoverISBN : 978-4-903545-22-6

ISBN : 978-4-903545-63-9

MAGMA
HanayoArt Director : Young And Robot
233 × 315 mm | 86 page
hardcoverISBN : 978-4-903545-25-7

30

Hanayo has been traveling between Tokyo and Berlin for the past 10
years, and the photos in “MAGMA” were shot in both of those places.
Her photographs value a clarity of feeling rather than technique: in one
photo we see a young child running around a room with a box over hisor her head, and even though the photograph is blurred, we can makea good guess about why this photo is important enough to publish. The
light in Hanayoʼs photos sometimes overpowers or distorts her images,
but sheʼs able to use this distortion as an atmospheric effect, which
can heighten the emotional power of what sheʼs showing the viewer.
Certain people appear throughout the book, and while their relations
are not always entirely clear, her young daughter seems to be the focal
point, appearing in a number of photographs and indeed on the cover aswell. This human connection keeps the book grounded as it sometimes
approaches the abstract. “MAGMA” is sometimes vague, but there areenough casually observed moments of beauty here to satisfy anyone.

nudes, and “Inochi no chibusa” collects photographs of 19 different
nude women. However, Araki takes a back seat to his own subjects,
whose lives and stories are the main focus of the book. Produced inassociation with the STP project of Japan, “The Inochi no chibusa”
shows the strength of these 19 women, who have overcome the sorrowand stress of breast cancer to live full lives. As a cancer survivor (andvivacious personality) himself, Araki is a fitting choice to take thesethoroughly playful work.
Art Director : N/T WORKS

Nobuyoshi Araki is perhaps Japanʼs most famous photographer of

Umi
Photographs by

Shin Suzuki
Model by

Kengo Kora
Art Director : Yuni Yoshida
297 × 420 mm | 72 pagesoftcoverISBN : 978-4-903545-67-7

photographs, which simply brim over with life. The women represent
a wide range of ages and locations all over Japan, including Okinawa.
Each woman has written a page of text about her experience, which
is printed at the back of the book along with information about breast
cancer. (The text is in Japanese only.)"Umi"(Sea) is a collaboration between photographer Shin Suzuki andactor Kengo Kora. It's not uncommon for Japanese movie stars to be
the subject of a photobook, but this is far from a typical production.
The cover of the book literally reads, "Shin Suzuki - Umi - Kengo Kora,"
which hints at the book ʼs direction. The photographs in this book wereshot over one long night, with a crew of just two: Suzuki and Kora. The
sea is the third collaborator here, as Kora is mostly seen in the water,sometimes visibly cold. The book starts out with black and white photos
taken in the middle of the night, as Kora appears to rage against thewater. As the sun comes up, Suzuki switches to color, bringing out the
muted colors and slight warmth of an early morning by the sea. It ʼs as
though Suzuki was using Kora as a medium through which to explorechanges of light and temperature. The oversize dimensions, saddle
stitching and full-bleed printing of "" heighten this sensory experience.
- 2011 AKAAKA

31

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