Exhibition to Commemorate 90 Years of Fujifilm Group SHYARAKUSAI! Japanese Photo Books of the 1950s—1970s

Highlights

This exhibition focuses on the FUJIFILM publicity magazine SHYARAKUSAI, published in the 1960s. Part 1 of the exhibition showcases selected photo books covered in Great Photo Books from SHYARAKUSAI, an issue of this magazine published to mark the 30th anniversary of the company's establishment. Part 2 features classic photo books from what is often considered the golden age of modern Japanese photography, spanning the 1950s to the 1970s.
Alongside the photo books, we will also exhibit photographs by various artists. This two-part structure conveys the rich diversity of printed works through the photo exhibition, and the enduring influence across generations of works in photo books, underscoring both formats’ crucial role in advancing photographic culture.

Images to be exhibited (Selected Works)

Ihei Kimura
Akita Obako (Akita Girl),
Akita Omagari, 1953

Ihei Kimura
Select Pictures by Ihei Kimura
(Asahi Shimbun Co., 1954)

Yoichi Midorikawa
Seto Inland Sea: Boats and Lighthouse, c. 1962

Yoichi Midorikawa
Seto Inland Sea
(Bijutsu Shuppan-sha, 1962)

Daido Moriyama
Stray Dog, Misawa, 1971

Daido Moriyama
Eizo no Gendai 10: The Hunter
(Chuo-koronsha, 1972)

Ikko Narahara
Two Garbage Cans, Indian Village, New Mexico
(from Where Time Has Vanished), 1972

Ikko Narahara
Where Time Has Vanished
(Asahi Shimbun Co., 1975)

Shigeo Gocho
From Self and Others, 1977

Shigeo Gocho
Self and Others (Hakuakan, 1977)

About the exhibition

At FUJIFILM SQUARE, we are celebrating the 90th anniversary of the FUJIFILM Group's founding with SHYARAKUSAI! Japanese Photo Books of the 1950s—1970s. This exhibition focuses on the 1950s to the 1970s, a period often considered the golden age of modern Japanese photography. It features 32 classic photo books from this era, as well as photographs by various artists.
Curated by the renowned photo critic Kotaro Iizawa, this special exhibition has a two-part structure. It conveys the rich diversity of printed works through the photo exhibition, and the enduring influence across generations of works in photo books, underscoring both formats’ crucial role in advancing photographic culture. The two parts are as follows:

Part 1: Great Photo Books from SHYARAKUSAI

The first part of this exhibition revisits the publicity magazine SHYARAKUSAI, published and offered for sale by FUJIFILM Corporation during the 1960s, a time of rapid economic growth and widespread proliferation of cameras. In March 1964, FUJIFILM marked the 30th anniversary of our establishment by publishing the 10th issue, titled Great Photo Books from SHYARAKUSAI, covering 32 photo books. We have carefully selected 15 of these, and in addition to the actual photo books, photographic prints by the artists will also be on view.
(Issues 1 through 10 of SHYARAKUSAI will also be displayed.)

Part 2: The 1950s—1970s: Golden Age of the Photo Book

Since before World War II, print media such as photography magazines and photo books were the main platforms for Japanese photographers to present their works. After the war, as many photographers focused on photo books as a means of conveying their vision, a unique culture of photo books emerged through encounters with talented designers and the development of superior printing techniques.
In the second part of the exhibition, we present 17 selected photo books that are essential to discussions of this era but were not featured in SHYARAKUSAI, along with prints by the photographers.

Of the 32 prints exhibited, 23 are from the Fujifilm Photo Collection. With a few exceptions, only the covers of photo books will be shown.

About the 1960s publicity magazine SHYARAKUSAI

With its humorous and playful layout and innovative design, SHYARAKUSAI conveys the joy and excitement of photography to this day. Issue no. 10 is particularly interesting, as it features not only photo books by giants of postwar photography such as Ihei Kimura and Ken Domon, but also those by photographers who are less frequently discussed today, offering a fascinating opportunity to revisit the photographic history of the time.

From the foreword of SHYARAKUSAI no. 10 (March 1964):
“As FUJIFILM, a company that has developed in tandem with the history of modern Japanese photography, celebrates its 30th anniversary this year, we aim to fulfill our readers’ fervent wishes by introducing 32 photo books that crystallize the creative energy of great photographers over the past decade since 1953, when the Japanese photography world got a new start.”

Cover of Sharakusai no. 10

Photographers and photo books scheduled for exhibition
(in chronological order of publication)

Part 1: Great Photo Books from SHYARAKUSAI (15 books)

Ihei Kimura, Select Pictures by Ihei Kimura (Asahi Shimbun Co., 1954)
Shoji Otake, World Musicians (Asahi Shimbun Co., 1955)
Rikko Nakamura, Nudes: Photography and Techniques (Genkosha, 1955)
Hiroshi Hamaya, Japan's Back Coast (Shinchosha, 1957)
Akira Tanno, Bolshoi Theatre (Ongaku no Tomo-sha, 1958)
Yasuhiro Ishimoto, Someday, Somewhere (Geibi Shuppansha, 1958)
Koyo Okada, Fuji (Hobundo, 1959)
Eikoh Hosoe, Man and Woman (Camera Art-sha, 1961)
Shotaro Akiyama, Woman, Man, Europe (Bungeishunju-sha, 1961)
Shomei Tomatsu, Ken Domon, Hiroshima-Nagasaki Document 1961 (Japan Council against Atomic and Hydrogen Bombs, 1961)
Kinsuke Shimada, Snow Country (Kurashi-no-techo, 1962)
Yoshio Watanabe, Ise (Asahi Shimbun Co., 1962)
Yoshinobu Nakamura, Ama: Women Sea Divers in Japan (Tokyo Chunichi Shimbun-sha, 1962)
Takeji Iwamiya, Katachi (Bijutsu Shuppan-sha, 1962)
Yoichi Midorigawa, Seto Inland Sea (Bijutsu Shuppan-Sha Co., Ltd, 1962)

Part 2: The 1950s—1970s: Golden Age of the Photo Book (17 books)

Yukio Tabuchi, Yukio Tabuchi: Masterpieces of Alpine Photography (Asahi Shimbun Co., 1951)
Yosuke Yamahata, Documentary Photographs: Nagasaki After the Atomic Bombing (Dai-ichi Shuppan, 1952)
Toyoko Tokiwa, Dangerous Poisonous Flowers (Mikasa Shobo, 1957)
Hideo Haga, Gods of the Rice Field (Heibonsha, 1959)
Ken Domon, The Children of Chikuho (Patoria Shoten, 1960)
Eiko Yamazawa, Far and Near (Mirai-sha, 1962)
Ichiro Kojima, Tsugaru (Shinchosha Publishing Co., Ltd., 1963)
Kikuji Kawada, The Map (Bijutsu Shuppan-Sha Co., Ltd, 1965)
Shinpei Asai, The Beatles in Tokyo (Chubu-Nippon Broadcasting, 1966)
Hitomi Watanabe, Shinjuku Contemporary (Hitomi Watanabe Photo Book Publishing Association, 1968)
Masahisa Fukase, Eizo no Gendai 4: Play (Chuokoronsha, 1971)
Daido Moriyama, Eizo no Gendai 10: The Hunter (Chuokoronsha, 1972)
Kiyoshi Suzuki, Song of Drifting (private press, 1972)
Hajime Sawatari, Nadia: Forest Doll Museum (Mainichi Newspapers, 1973)
Ikko Narahara, Where Time Has Vanished (Asahi Shimbun Co., 1975)
Shigeo Gocho, Self and Others (Hakuakan, 1977)
Miyako Ishiuchi, Yokosuka Story (Shashin Tsushin-sha, 1979)

Exhibition overview

Title

Exhibition to Commemorate 90 Years of Fujifilm Group
SHYARAKUSAI! Japanese Photo Books of the 1950s—1970s

Dates

October 18 (Fri) – November 7 (Thu), 2024

Time

10:00 – 19:00
(Until 14:00 on the final day. Entry is allowed for up to 10 minutes before closing.)
Open every day for the full duration of the exhibition.

Venue

Spaces 1, 2 & Mini Gallery, Fujifilm Photo Salon Tokyo, FUJIFILM SQUARE

Admission

Free

* This exhibition is being held as a corporate MECENAT activity. We are pleased to announce that admission is free to enable more people to attend.

Number of works

・Photo books	:	32 (scheduled)
・Prints	:	32 silver halide prints (of which 23 are from the FUJIFILM Photo Collection)

Organized by

FUJIFILM Corporation

Supported by

Minato City Board of Education

Supervised by

Photo critic Kotaro Iizawa

In cooperation with

Shashinshu Shokudo (Photo Book Diner) Megutama

Planned by

Contact

* This exhibition may be cancelled or rescheduled for unavoidable circumstances. Visit FUJIFILM SQUARE online or call for updates.

ACCESS

Related Events

SHYARAKUSAI Commemorative Talk Event

Date & Time	November 3 (Sun/public holiday), 2024 13:30—15:00 (reception opens at 13:00)
Venue	Special Event Space, 2F, FUJIFILM SQUARE (seating available)^* (Please enter through FUJIFILM SQUARE.) * Seats are unreserved, and are on a first-come, first-served basis.
Speaker	Photography critic Kotaro Iizawa
Moderator	Masako Sato, Contact
Admission	Free
Reservations	Required. Acceptance of applications via website and phone begins at 10:00 on Tuesday, October 1. Details will be posted on the FUJIFILM SQUARE website by mid-September.

* Please note that both the photo exhibition and related events are subject to change or cancellation due to circumstances.

Gallery Talk

Date & Time	October 19 (Sat) and October 26 (Sat), 2024, each session starts at 13:00 and lasts approximately 30 minutes.
Venue	Exhibition Hall, Fujifilm Photo Salon Tokyo
Speaker	Photography critic Kotaro Iizawa
Moderator	Masako Sato, Contact
Admission	Free
Reservations	Not required

* Talk will take place in the photo exhibition area. Please note that there will be no seating available.
* Please note that both the photo exhibition and related events are subject to change or cancellation due to circumstances.