KOJIMA, Ichiro - Tsugaru. Poetry, writings, photography

Background information

The photographic volume 'Tsugaru. Poetry, Writings, Photography' by Ichiro KOJIMA (1924-1964), Kyozo Takagi and Yojiro Ishizaka - all native sons of the Tsugaru region - is a faksimile of the original volume from 1963.

Content

The volume 'Tsugaru' by Japanese photographer Ichiro KOJIMA contains black-and-white images, which were taken in and around the Tsugaru region within the Aomori Prefecture at the northern tip of Japan’s main island. Rich gravure photos of snow covered landscapes and rural residents engaged in traditional customs and rituals are interwoven with the poetry of Kyozo Takagi and writings of Yojiro Ishizaka.

Reception

'It is hard not to see a connection to the book 'Snow Land' (1977) by Hiroshi HAMAYA, another book that explores a remote northern Japanese culture. But unlike Hiroshi HAMAYA, Ichiro KOJIMA, Kyozo Takagi and Yojiro Ishizaka are all native sons of the Tsugaru region. Their depictions are highly personal views of their childhood homeland and its fading traditions: a quiet and deeply moving place of shorelines dotted with small houses framed by winter grasses poking out of the snow into a hazy sky. Several of the images are reminiscent of the French painter Jean-Francois Millet, whose scenes of peasant farmers the photographer deeply admired. A similar sense of respect for age-old traditions permeates his work. It is as if the soul of the countryside can be heard in the fields and on the unpaved country roads. A mystic beauty envelops all.
Until recently, the only way to experience 'Tsugaru' was to find a copy of the expensive original edition from 1963 (although selected images from the 'Tsugaru' series could be found in other books by and about him). But fortunately, in 2014 a limited edition facsimile has been released. Aside from a few subtle differences that include changes in color and tone due to paper age, the addition of an English colophon and a supplemental booklet with English text, the facsimile is very accurate. All in all, the 'Tsugaru' reprint provides a very affordable way to experience this unsung treasure among postwar Japanese photobooks." (© Russet Lederman)

About Japanese photographer, Ichiro KOJIMA (1924-1964)

Photo books by as well as with works by Ichiro KOJIMA