This book of two halves is at once a gallery of jaw--dropping modern Japanese buildings and an in--depth explanation of how the photographs of them were made.

This book of two halves is at once a gallery of jaw-dropping modern Japanese buildings and an in-depth explanation of how the photographs of them were made.

Japanese architecture fans are introduced in this book to the nine photographers who have been instrumental in shaping the way we view the country's spectacular post-war buildings. Through its pages we can 'visit' these astonishing structures through the eyes - and camera lenses - of these remarkable artists.

But can documenting buildings in this way ever be entirely neutral? Author and Japanese architecture expert Ari Seligmann examines the post-Second World War evolution of architectural photography in Japan as a vehicle for considering both universal and particular issues in how we view the world around us through images. Through a veritable feast of exquisitely printed pictures, he grapples with the scope of architectural photography, recognising that it is more than making marketing images for architects and magazines, but not quite historical record.

Combining photobook, biography, and architectural photo history, the book traces developments in one of the most exciting architectural contexts anywhere in the world. Japanese architecture is globally recognised through the circulation of architectural photographs, but Japanese architectural photographers have had almost no global recognition, until now.

Profiled photographers:
Yoshio Watanabe (1907-2000) • Chuji Hirayama (1909-2005) • Akio Kawasumi (1923-2007) • Osamu Murai (1928-2016) • Yukio Futagawa (1932-2013) • Tomio Ohashi (1932-2017) • Kiyoshi Takai (1938-) • Shuji Yamada (1939-) • Mistumasa Fujitsuka (1939-)

Details

ISBN13: 9780500028100
Format: Hardback
Number of Pages: 304
Edition:
Publication Date: 19 Mar 2026
Publisher: Thames & Hudson Ltd
Publication City, Country: London, United Kingdom
Dimensions (cm): 30.5(H)x24(L)2000
Weight (gm): 2000

Author Biography

Ari Seligmann is the deputy head of Monash University in Australia's architecture department, a frequent research visitor to Japan and author of books including Japanese Modern Architecture 1920-2015: Developments and Dialogues.

Reviews

'This is a gold mine for readers already interested Japanese architecture, but is simultaneously relevant for anyone fascinated by how the production and consumption of images shape public understandings of place' - Aesthetica