Yasuzo Nojima: Posthumous Works, First Edition

Yasuzo Nojima: Posthumous Works 

First Edition, First Printing, 1965

This is an extremely scarce first edition, first printing of the highly influential photobook “Yasuzo Nojima: Posthumous Works” self published in 1965 and edited by The Committee for the Publication of Yasuzo Nojima’s Posthumous Works. Yasuzo Nojima is considered one of the most important and influential photographers in the history of modern Japanese photography. In a 1999 essay, the noted photography critic Richard Phillips wrote, “In the late 1920s Nojima's work began to change from mannered pictorialism to simple, subtly lit and seductive portraits and nude shots to produce some of the most enigmatic images seen in pre-World War II Japan. The Japanese word for photography is shanshin, means to "reproduce reality". Nojima's images transcend the mechanical reproduction of reality and uncover truths not seen or understood by previous Japanese photographers. Against the convention of mainly using western women or celebrities as models, Nojima chose unglamorous, earthy Japanese women for his portraits. The carefully composed but simple images reject the overblown flattery of the pictorialists and attempt to unlock the inner soul of the subject. In a notebook entry, titled “Fictions and True Stories”, Nojima, wrote, “"What they call art photography is nothing more than a catalog of the absentminded, the vague, the falsely significant or deep, the diluted, and the weak. They are therefore not the qualities the age demands." Ryuichi Kaneko and Ivan Vartanian in their reference work on Japanese Photobooks, “Japanese Photobooks of the 1960s and 70s” provide some insight into the scarcity of the book, “This book represents an appraisal of Nojima in a postwar context and was published privately as a catalog accompanying a commemorative exhibition following his death in 1964.  When it was published, it received little response from the general public; indeed, only those who had some relationship, usually direct, with Nojima were aware of it. As a commemorative item it was not available for retail sale, but was circulated among photographers and photography critics.” 

Containing 52 monochrome photographs printed in collotype and measuring approximately 10” x 10.5”, the book is bound in white linen covered boards (no dust jacket as issued) and housed in a paper covered board slipcase. The condition of the book is Near FINE with the front and rear board glue marks visible and a small crease to the upper edge of the first 10 text pages.  The paper covered board slipcase is in Good condition with soiling, age toning, puckering, and some paper loss and separation to the paper fold on one side. Overall, this is a highly collectible copy of an extremely scarce photobook title that is rarely available. (I am only aware of 2 copies being offered in the past 7 years) 

Cited in the reference work on Japanese Photobooks, “Japanese Photobooks of the 1960s and 70s” by Ryuichi Kaneko and Ivan Vartanian. 

Photographs of the front book cover, the slipcase, the board glue marks, the crease to 10 text pages, as well as photographs from the book appear below. Please note that although the photographs appear digitized as thumbnails, they are viewable in the photo viewer by running your mouse over the thumbnail. You can also click on the thumbnail to open a separate window where the pictures are viewable as a slideshow.