Nobuyoshi Araki: The Complete Works, Vol. 7: Sentimental Travelogue

"Nobuyoshi Araki's 'Nobuyoshi Araki Photo Works Vol. 7: Sentimental Travelogue'" is the seventh volume of a 20-volume photo collection published by Heibonsha, reconstructing Araki's works around the theme of "travel." It begins with images connected to his seminal work "Sentimental Journey," which documented his honeymoon with his wife Yoko, and includes photographs taken both in Japan and abroad.

While set in diverse locations such as Kyoto, Okinawa, New York, Mexico, Rio de Janeiro, and Paris, this book does not depict tourist landscapes. Instead, it captures the women Araki met there, the atmosphere of street corners, and the bodily sensations experienced during travel. It reveals that for Araki, travel was not an act of documenting places, but a time to connect with the world through desire, chance, and encounters. The composition, interweaving color and monochrome, effectively highlights the temperature differences and emotional fluctuations of each location.

The title "Ryojō" (Sentimental Travelogue) is said to be derived from the movie "Summertime" (Ryojō in Japanese), which Araki happened to see. This word encapsulates a longing for foreign lands, fleeting passions, and a sentimentality for time passing. This book, seen through the eyes of the traveling photographer Nobuyoshi Araki, presents a world where travel, women, and photography are inextricably linked. The volume also includes a critical essay "Journey of the 'Environs'" by Yu Miri and an explanation by Araki himself.

[Title] Nobuyoshi Araki Photo Works Vol. 7: Sentimental Travelogue
[Publisher] Heibonsha
[Publication Date] June 20, 1996
[Pages] 207 pages
[Size] Approx. 150*225*15mm / 500g
[Format] Softcover
[Language] Japanese
[Title Reading] ARAKI NOBUYOSHI SHASHIN ZENSHŪ DAI 7 KAN RYOJŌ
[Author/Editor] Nobuyoshi Araki / Author, Seiichi Suzuki Design Office / Book Design, Keiichi Kadosaki / Editor, Akihiro Hatanaka / Editor, Takeru Adachi / Editor
[Printing] Toppan Printing / Printing, Oguchi Binding & Printing / Binding
[ISBN]
[Condition] Used [5] Good (Slight scuffs on cover, slight age-related yellowing, minor scratches)
[Accessories] -
[Featured In] -
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Nobuyoshi Araki (1940-)

Born in Minowa, Taito-ku, Tokyo, on May 25, 1940.
In 1959, he entered Chiba University, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Photography and Printing, and graduated in 1963. After graduation, he joined Dentsu and worked as an advertising photographer. In 1964, he received the first Taiyo Award for "Sachin," establishing himself as a photographer.

In 1971, he self-published "Sentimental Journey," a private photo book documenting his honeymoon with his colleague Yoko Aoki, establishing his "watakushi shashin" (I-photography) style. In 1972, he left Dentsu to become a freelance photographer, capturing a wide range of subjects including nudes, cityscapes, flowers, his beloved cat Chiro, daily life with his wife Yoko, and street snapshots. His style, emphasizing fragments of daily life and private emotions, created a new trend in the photography world.

From the 1980s onwards, he developed dense daily photographs using medium format cameras such as the Pentax 67, Plaubel Makina 67, and Leica. Through an intimate gaze at his subjects and humid descriptions, he pursued an expression that blurs the boundaries between private and public space. He has published over 500 photo books and is highly acclaimed both in Japan and internationally.

Major photo books include "Sentimental Journey" (1971), "Tokyo Biyori" (1977), "Shashin Kyōrōjin A" (1990), "Shashin Shijō Shugi" (2000), and "Nobuyoshi Araki Photo Works" (2008).

His awards include the Taiyo Award, the Austrian Decoration for Science and Art, the 6th Ango Award, and the 54th Mainichi Art Award Special Prize. He continues to actively photograph and is globally recognized as one of Japan's leading contemporary photographers.

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Nobuyoshi Araki