Ura Nihon - Japan's Back Coast

Tokyo: Shinchosha, 1957. In white linen hardcover with original thick black & white photographic dustjacket Folio. A remarkable and much sought after book in the Japanese canon of photography. 20 pp text in Japanese and English and 96 pp with 71 most full-page and some double-page plates printed in sumptuous gravure as well as 8 pages in color. Hamaya spent three years going from village to village on Japan's rural west coast, documenting an area covered by snow for half the year. " Hamaya's images of the rural families show a remarkable strength and resilience in the face of harsh natural conditions. With these images the Tokyo-born photographer contributed to the search for a national identity with an optimistic portrait of the strength of the Japanese people and the importance of rites and rituals in their daily lives. These series distanced themselves from the prevalent photo-realist movement, echoing instead the French humanist photography of Robert Doisneau and Henri Cartier-Bresson. Hamaya was Magnum's first Asian photographer". ( Eyes of an Island: Japanese photography 1945-2007 by Marc Feustel). In Near Fine condition with a crisp and clean dustjacket with one small tear along the top edge.. First Edition. Near Fine/Near Fine.