Inspired by Japanese photographers, as well as by William Klein’s seminal photography book on New York, Daido Moriyama moved from Osaka to Tokyo in the early sixties to become a photographer. He became the leading exponent of a fierce new photographic style that corresponded perfectly to the abrasive and intense climate of Tokyo during a period of great social upheaval. Between June 1972 and July 1973 Moriyama produced his own magazine publication, Kiroku, which was then referred to as Record. It became a diaristic journal of his work as it developed. Ten years ago, after a decades-long interval, he was able to resume publication of Record. Now this book collects work from all thirty published issues, edited into a single sequence, punctuated by Moriyama’s own text as it appeared in the magazine. Produced at the magazine’s original size, with an introduction by Mark Holborn, this volume features more than 200 works from throughout the magazine’s history.
It used to be assumed that Moriyama’s peculiarly Japanese style was tied to his Tokyo roots. The evidence of the last ten years demonstrates that Moriyama, a restless world traveler, has been able to apply his unique vision to northern Europe; southern France; the cities of Florence, London, Barcelona, Taipei, Hong Kong, New York, and Los Angeles as well as the alleys of Osaka; the landscape of Hokkaido; and Afghanistan.
Reviews
One of “The Best Art Books of 2017”
— The New York Times
There are occasions for Moriyama to look back and to reminisce, and it is these in which the emotions manage to break through what clearly has become the routine of essentially taking the same kinds of pictures over and over and over … In retrospect, in a world where so many people now do what Daido Moriyama has been doing for decades, namely relentlessly photographing and sharing their daily lives, this Japanese photographer could be seen as being the true avant-garde yet again, first as a member of a new generation of photographers challenging their elders, and then as the prototype photographer for all those who now make good daily use of the cameras in their smartphones.
— Conscientious Photography Magazine
Contributors
Mark Holborn
Edited By
Mark Holborn is an internationally recognized editor and designer of illustrated books working with a diverse range of artists, from William Eggleston to Lucian Freud. He is also a curator, author, and specialist on Japanese culture. His books as an editor include Daido Moriyama: Record, Daido Moriyama – Record 2, and Tadanori Yokoo.
