Utsutsu no yami

Yoshiichi Hara
Utsutsu no yami

Photographs: Yoshiichi Hara

Publisher: Sokyu-Sha

88 pages

Pictures: 67

Year: 2008

Comments: White marble hardcover with debossed silver gelatin print on the front cover, no dust jacket as issued. 265 x 235 mm. Black & white photographs. Text in Japanese. First edition, 2008. Limited edition of 650 copies.

Published to accompany an exhibition of the same name at the Sokyusha Gallery in June/July 2008. Hara is a cult figure in Japan having dedicated much of his art to documenting the lives of showgirls, bargirls and prostitutes - preparing for work, at work, after work - backstage, on stage, at home and at leisure. Many of his works from the 1960s and 70s mix great photography and social history - something like early, more sympathetic versions of Nobuyoshi Araki's "Tokyo Lucky Hole." Hara is not in line with Japanese photorealism as might be expected but brings fascinating chiaroscuro lighting to his images similar to the work of Daido Moriyama or Ikko Narahara. Other books by Hara that I have sold include "Shukujo Roku (Ladies Record)" and the Fuga Shobo published "Stripper". In this book Hara takes his artistry to his highest level, masterfully sequencing his nudes, landscapes and still life photos. Easily one of the greatest photo books of recent years.