Over the past 150 years, Japanese photographers have created an impressive body of work that ranges from dignified imperial photographs to sweeping urban panoramas, from early ethereal landscapes to modern urban mysteries. Despite the richness, significance and variety of this work, however, it has largely been neglected in Western histories of photography. This is a comprehensive account of Japanese photography from its inception in the mid-19th century to the early 21st century, designed to reveal to English-speaking audiences the importance and beauty of this art form. Written by a team of Japanese and Western scholars, the volume establishes that photography began to play a vital role in Japanese culture soon after its introduction to Japan in the 1850s. Illustrated essays discuss the medium's evolution and aesthetic shifts in relation to the nation's historical and cultural developments; the interaction of Japanese photographers with Western photographers; the link between photography and other Japanese art forms; and photography as a record and catalyst of change. Illustrated with duotone and colour images, the work emphasizes not only the unique features of Japanese photography but also the ways it has influenced and been influenced by the country's culture and society.
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Except for the rare international superstar like Araki Nobuyoshi, known for his gamy shots of nude young women, Japanese photography is a closed book to Westerners. Yet it has a distinguished and vital tradition that has enriched every genre, from portraits to landscapes, with a unique blend of lyricism and candor. In The History of Japanese Photography, a wealth of captivating images and essays by seven scholars trace 140 years of stylistic and cultural evolution. In 1857 a local ruler had his portrait taken with a daguerreotype set brought to Nagasaki by a foreign ship. Eleven years later, official photographs of the emperor--never glimpsed in person by his subjects—became widely available. Photographers were increasingly called upon to document new Japanese territories, natural disasters, and wars. Visitors hankered after studio shots of geishas and other exotica. Beginning in the 1890s, upper-class amateur photographers contributed a new emphasis on aesthetics. In the 1930s exquisite Pictorialist images of natural beauty gave way to modernist influences from Berlin and Moscow, and then—in wartime—to a conservative emphasis on traditional rural life. Individual expression dominated postwar photography, as seen in such images as Tomatsu Shomei’s haunting "Beer bottle after the atomic bomb explosion." Recent work reflects the dislocations of urban consumer society. Beautifully produced, with 356 color illustrations, this groundbreaking volume accompanies an exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston (March 2-April 27, 2003) that travels to the Cleveland Museum of Art (May 18-July 27, 2003). —Cathy Curtis
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. . . . [A]n eye-opening introduction to photographic and Japanese history in more than 200 pictures. . . . -- (Vicki Goldberg, New York Times)
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23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Simply stunning,
By A Customer
This review is from: The History of Japanese Photography (Museum of Fine Arts S.) (Hardcover)
This is one of the finest photography books I've seen recently. Filled with page after page of gorgeous photographs spanning a range of over one hundred years, from rare vintage images to fascinating contemporary work, this volume tells the story of a vastly understudied area of artistic work. Everything about this volume--its design, its production, its content--does beautiful justice to the subject matter. Finally--a worthy book on Japanese photography!!!
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful and interesting book,
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This review is from: The History of Japanese Photography (Museum of Fine Arts S.) (Hardcover)
I must say that this book is beautiful and I hightly recommend it to anyone who is interested in Japanese photography. I have started reading it and the writing is refreshingly lucid and informative while the photographic reproductions are impressive. At times, the authors do presuppose a knowledge of Western photographic history that may be daunting for some readers. If you are not familiar with that history you may not find the arguments or explanations as productive or interesting as they are. However, even if you are a unfamiliar with the history and you are just curious about the topic, this book has a lot to offer if you just skim the essays. The more academic-minded readers will find the essays to be critically and historically illuminating, intriguing, and thought-provoking. Plus the book is so beautiful.
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