A groundbreaking new publication brings together four essential early works by legendary Japanese photographer Daido Moriyama, offering readers an intimate look into the evolution of one of photography's most radical and influential voices. The collection, titled "Quartet" and published by Thames & Hudson, presents these seminal books in a structure inspired by musical composition, tracing the development of Moriyama's distinctive visual language that would reshape contemporary photography.
Moriyama, who turns 87 this year, has become internationally renowned for his blurry, off-kilter photographic style that appears to be shot instinctively from the hip rather than through a traditional viewfinder. According to artist Tadanori Yokoo, Moriyama is "the kind of friend who talks to you without making eye contact," a characterization that seems to perfectly capture the photographer's unique approach to his craft.
The photographer's radical aesthetic emerged as part of a generation of Japanese artists who sought to liberate photography from conventional constraints in post-war Japan. These artists aimed to capture and translate the profound cultural shockwaves that were transforming Japanese society during this pivotal period. As editor Mark Holborn explains, "Not only did these books form the foundation of his subsequent career, but they represent the formation of a visual language that was uniquely his own."
Moriyama's journey began in earnest after his move to Tokyo in 1961, when he immersed himself in the city's vibrant avant-garde cultural scene. During this formative period, he worked as an assistant to photographer Eikoh Hosoe and developed a close friendship with Takuma Nakahira, with whom he would later collaborate to create the influential photography magazine "Provoke." He also spent considerable time following underground theater troupes directed by playwright Shuji Terayama, experiences that would profoundly shape his artistic vision.
These theatrical encounters became the foundation for Moriyama's acclaimed debut book, "Japan, A Photo Theater," published in 1968. The work masterfully blended experimental performance art, popular entertainment, and scenes from everyday Japanese life, revealing Moriyama's innate understanding of theatrical elements both on stage and in street life. Holborn notes that "that book was steeped in the theatricality that lies at the heart of so many aspects of Japanese culture." The publication highlighted both stage and backstage elements, with Moriyama provocatively concluding it with imagery of specimens from a gynecological hospital, demonstrating how "the fringe theaters were merely a manifestation of a wider sense of human drama."
The new "Quartet" collection presents these historical works with dramatically different production values than the originals. While Moriyama's first book was printed using gravure—now an almost obsolete printing medium—on uncoated paper, "Quartet" utilizes varnished, semi-gloss stock that intensifies the blacks and amplifies contrast. "We live in a different era to that of the original book," Holborn explains. "The production of Quartet is loud in every way. There is nothing soft or gentle about it. Of course, there is room for another way of printing Moriyama that should be full of subtlety and lyricism, but that is another enterprise."
The hardcover collection arrives in a striking electric green slipcase that somehow enhances the impression of dizzying darkroom fumes, setting the tone for the intense visual experience contained within. Beyond "Japan, A Photo Theater," "Quartet" includes images from "Farewell Photography" (1972), which offers a window into the darker, more nihilistic aspects of Moriyama's imagination during a period when he was struggling with drug dependency. These haunting images consist of found pictures rescued from the darkroom floor, along with materials from newspapers and magazines, all deliberately smudged, scratched, and stomped upon to create a visceral emotional impact.
The collection also features Moriyama's stalker-like, Jack Kerouac-inspired work "A Hunter" from the same year, as well as "Light and Shadow" (1982). According to Holborn, experiencing "Light and Shadow" is "akin to the experience of stumbling down a Shinjuku alleyway." He elaborates on the context: "In the late 20th century, the exterior of the Japanese city was the epitome of chaos. The city was almost like a slumbering monster who stirs in the night and occasionally growls. It was inevitable that Moriyama would photograph the street, and that he would do it as easily as going to a coffee shop or wandering to buy some cigarettes."
Holborn emphasizes that creating "Quartet" was far from a conventional editing task and resists characterizing it as a simple anthology. "To me, an anthology is a collection of works without a sense of beginning and end," he explains. "It is counter to the sense of narrative, and, for me, the sequence is almost paramount. Without narrative, the book remains dead. The challenge in Quartet was to create a sense of a whole. I view it as a single work in four separate movements."
This musical analogy proves particularly fitting for Moriyama himself. Despite all the graphic force of his visual language, the dramatic dynamics of contrast, and his often unsparing subject matter, Holborn argues that "he is an intensely lyrical artist. He is as poetic as a songwriter."
Holborn's personal connection to this work runs deep, having first visited Tokyo in 1971 when many of these photographs were being created. In his essay contribution to the book, he draws compelling connections between these images and his personal memories of Japan, contrasting Moriyama's characteristic blur with the sharp precision of novelist Yasunari Kawabata's prose. "I have been looking at these pictures for decades," Holborn reflects. "They have, in a sense, shaped the way I view the exterior world. Moriyama touches a different source in my own memory bank. Going back to these pictures is an exercise in uncovering memory."
This relationship between photography and memory extends to the very experience of engaging with a photography book. Holborn suggests that turning the pages of a book mirrors how we encounter and excavate our own memories, as well as the sensation of moving through Tokyo's haphazard urban geography. "You move through a book," he observes. "You turn back and forth at will, just as you once turned down a certain street and looked at the criss-cross of the cables overhead and the dirt beneath your feet, unknowing of what lay ahead."
"Quartet" represents more than just a retrospective collection; it serves as a testament to Moriyama's revolutionary impact on photography and his ability to capture the essence of urban Japanese life during a period of tremendous social and cultural transformation. The book offers both longtime admirers and new audiences an opportunity to experience the full scope of Moriyama's early genius, presented in a format that honors both the historical significance of these works and their continued relevance to contemporary visual culture.
