Ba-ra-kei: Ordeal by Roses is a rare glimpse into the life of the great modern Japanese writer, Yukio Mishima, who ended his life in 1970 by ritual suicide. Many in Japan regarded the suicide as a sensational act. However, the publication of Mishima's final cycle of novels, which had been conceived eight years prior to his death, revealed that his death was carefully considered--a gesture of historical import in perfect accord with the morbid and esoteric aesthetic that pervades his writing. In 1961 Mishima asked Eikoh Hosoe to photograph him, giving him full artistic direction in making these surreal and alluring photographs. The props that surround the writer and the baroque interior of his home are antithetical to the pure Japanese sensibility of understatement and reveal Mishima's dark, theatrical imagination.
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
Review
". . . Mr. Hosoe, a pioneer in a grittily expressionistic form of photography in Japan, rejected conventions and saw tantalizing stories before his camera, some dark, some exuberant. . . . A powerful blend of memory and desire. "--The New York Times
"As the author of the text and the subject of the photographs, Mishima almost tenderly exploits his most intimate obsessions: his erotic desires, his creativity, his body, his premeditated death. Hosoe's work mirrors Mishima's complexity and contradictions in photographs whose images melt into superimposed layers of symbol and meaning."--Booklist
". . . an opulently printed, large-format book . . . Hosoe explores light and shadow, and collages images from Renaissance paintings and other sources, resulting in photographs that possess a piercing beauty, photographs where there are no lies and no deceptions."--"25 Best Books of 2002," THE magazine, December 2002/January 2003
-- Review
"As the author of the text and the subject of the photographs, Mishima almost tenderly exploits his most intimate obsessions: his erotic desires, his creativity, his body, his premeditated death. Hosoe's work mirrors Mishima's complexity and contradictions in photographs whose images melt into superimposed layers of symbol and meaning."--Booklist
". . . an opulently printed, large-format book . . . Hosoe explores light and shadow, and collages images from Renaissance paintings and other sources, resulting in photographs that possess a piercing beauty, photographs where there are no lies and no deceptions."--"25 Best Books of 2002," THE magazine, December 2002/January 2003
-- Review
Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Japanese
Original Language: Japanese
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Long Search Rewarded,
By A Customer
This review is from: Ba-ra-kei: Ordeal by Roses (Hardcover)
It took a long time for me to find this book (courtesy of Amazon.com) but it was definetly worth the frustration! This book of photography is a MUST for serious Mishima / Hosoe collectors and fans - it offers not only a set of beautifully taken photos but a deadly and not insignificant insight to both the photographer and his tempramental subject. Buy, beg, steal but whatever you do dont borrow it because you will be a sad man when the day of parting comes........
5.0 out of 5 stars
I you are an admirer of Mishima, this book is for you,
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Amazon Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: Ba-ra-kei: Ordeal by Roses (Hardcover)
This is a perfect artbook about this Japanese genius: Yukio Mishima.
Great quality paper and full page photographs. This book is an open door into the mind of the most controversial and fascinating artist from the last century.
0 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Another aspect of Mishima,
By Oakland Collector (CA USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Ba-ra-kei: Ordeal by Roses (Hardcover)
A world apart from his words, movies, and actions, this team effort with the famed japanese photographer will surprise. The centerfold image with a sledgehammer starting straight up at the lense is chilling. Black and white photos are offset with unique use of monochormatic coloring to further shock the eye. 10 years after finding this one I am willing to part with it. If you are a interested collector contact me at mmurd@hotmail.com
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