JAPANESQUE

Ikko Narahara
JAPANESQUE

Photographs: Ikko Narahara

Publisher: Asahi Shimbun

104 pages

Year: 1970

Comments: Hardcover under slipcase, 37 x 26 cm, first edition, b&w and colours photographs. Slipcase is a bit sunburned and soiled but the book itself is In very good condition other than some stains on the first page which doesn't affect the pictures.

“Japanesque” is composed of eight subseries: Zen, The Sword, Courtesans, Noh, Sumo, Samurai, Mount Fuji, and Awa Dance. The series began in 1968 and was published in 1970.

At a young age, Narahara was exposed to American culture as it was increasingly prevalent in postwar Japan, and within it he saw and opportunity to identify and face the traditions of Japan. An encounter with colorful shunga paintings in Paris inspired Narahara to begin work on “Japanesque.” Narahara confronts feelings of estrangement within his own country in “Japanesque” while simultaneously, personal memories such as a family visit to Mount Fuji and recollections of his grandfather’s katana sword collection remain a lingering presence.