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Oriental imagery
A tome for the scholar, and very thorough with it; this must be the definitive work on the subject. The substantial reference section at the back alone runs to 100 pages of an overall 432 and includes the major players in Japanese photography; it even carries detailed commentary on the comings and goings of Japanese photo magazines since the 18th Century. Photography was imported to Japan in the 1840s and ‘50s, since which time the direction of traffic has reversed somewhat. As all good history books should do, this one addresses its subject in chronological manner, the material being divided into chapters by period or topic. Each chapter has its scene set by an essay from one of the named authors or another expert contributor, and the text is generously supported with footnotes. The essays cover the development of the medium in relation to the nation’s history and art, and shifts in cultural attitudes. As for the pictures, there are 350 in total, 50 in duotone and the balance in colour. The whole encapsulates very clearly and compre-hensively the unique flavour of Japanese photo image making. As flavours go, it is rather tasty.
The History of Japanese Photography, by Anne Wilkes Tucker, Dana Friis-Hansen, Kaneko Ryuchi and Takeba Joe, published by Yale University Press in association with the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, £45, ISBN 0 300 09925 8.
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