Goze (signed)

"Goze" is a collection of works by photographer Shoko Hashimoto, who documented the lives of blind itinerant performers called "goze" while living and traveling with them in the early 1970s.

Goze were blind female entertainers who traveled from village to village, performing with shamisen and storytelling. This book captures the daily lives of goze as they walked through the snow-covered rural villages of Niigata and Tohoku, depicted in high-contrast monochrome photographs.

Hashimoto meticulously documented not only the goze walking, but also their resting time by the hearth, sleeping in inns, interactions with villagers, the atmosphere of drinking gatherings, and even the expressions of children. It's impressive that the photographs are not just ethnographic records, but also capture the remnants of community in post-war rural Japan and the warmth of people's lives.

As Ihei Kimura once described his work as "photographs that reek," Hashimoto's photographs possess a power that allows one to sense not only what is seen, but also the smell of damp earth and snow, the hearth, sake, and sweat of the land.

The original edition was published by Nora-sha in 1974 and received the Photographic Society of Japan Newcomer's Award. This book is a re-edited version published by Aron Shobo in 1988.

[Title] Goze
[Publisher] Aron Shobo
[Publication Date] October 10, 1988
[Page Count] 240 pages
[Size] Approx. 18424515mm / 626g
[Format] Softcover
[Language] Japanese
[Title Reading] GOZE
[Author/Editor] Shoko Hashimoto/Author
[Printing] Creative House/Printer
[ISBN] 4795275610
[Condition] Used, with presentation inscription [6] Good to Fair (Spine faded)
[Accessories] None
[Featured In] -
[Related Exhibitions] 2013 "Goze" (Zen Foto Gallery), 2014 "Goze" Vintage Photo Exhibition (Zeit-Foto Salon), 2022 "Goze" (Ikeda Memorial Art Museum)

Shoko Hashimoto (born 1939)

Born in Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture. Photographer.
Graduated from the Department of Photography, Nihon University College of Art in 1963. From the early 1970s, he extensively photographed the itinerant lives of "Goze," blind traveling performers. In 1974, his photo collection "Goze" received the Photographic Society of Japan Newcomer's Award. In the same year, he participated in the "15 Photographers Exhibition" (The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo) alongside Nobuyoshi Araki, Takuma Nakahira, Daido Moriyama, and others, and his works were acquired by the museum.

He continues to create works on the subject of marginalized lands and people remaining in various parts of Japan, such as indigenous landscapes, folklore, traveling performers, hot spring resorts, and disaster-stricken areas. As Ihei Kimura described his work as "photographs that reek," he is known for his works that evoke a strong bodily sensation, allowing one to feel the humidity and smell of the land, and the presence of its people.

His representative works include "Goze," "Kitakami River," "Nishiyama Onsen," "Sanya 1968.8.1-8.20," and "Ishinomaki." Since 2011, he has continuously photographed his hometown, Ishinomaki, after the Great East Japan Earthquake.

His main awards include the Photographic Society of Japan Newcomer's Award. His works are housed in The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo.

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Ihei Kimura, Kazuo Kitai