Nishiyama Hot Spring (Autographed)

A photobook by Shoko Hashimoto, featuring photographs taken in 1974 at "Nishiyama Onsen," a hot spring cure resort nestled deep in the mountains of Hayakawa Town, Yamanashi Prefecture.

Soaking in the hot springs, singing, eating, sleeping—a long stay. This book densely records Japan's hot spring cure culture and the atmosphere of its communities, which still existed even during the era of rapid economic growth.

A three-story wooden inn, a bathhouse enveloped in steam, banquets filled with singing, bodies floating in the hot water, and people relaxing. Hashimoto spent several days with them, not merely observing from the outside, but immersing himself in the scene, laughing with them as he continued to photograph.

As mentioned in his own text, the women singing "Oyoge! Taiyaki-kun" and "Onna no Michi," people sunbathing in the hot spring, and the space where naked people conversed and laughed all reveal a dense, unique time specific to hot spring cure resorts, which is rarely seen today.

What is striking is how Hashimoto's nuanced gaze captures not just a mere documentary record, but also people's physical sensations and even the scent of the land.

This is one of the hidden works of Shoko Hashimoto, who has continuously photographed post-war Japanese folklore, communities, travel, and cultures remaining in the land.

[Title] Nishiyama Onsen
[Publisher] Zen Foto Gallery
[Publication Date] 2014
[Pages] 104 pages
[Size] Approx. 28321713mm / 554g
[Format] Softcover, with dust jacket
[Language] Japanese, English
[Title Reading] Nishiyama Onsen
[Author/Editor] Shoko Hashimoto / Author, Editor; Ling-Ning Lo / Editor, Design
[Printing] Honglang Caiyi Printing / Printing
[ISBN] None
[Condition] Used, signed [10] Excellent
[Accessories] Dust jacket
[Featured In] -
[Related Exhibitions] 2014 "Nishiyama Onsen" (Zen Foto Gallery)

Shoko Hashimoto (Hashimoto Shoko) 1939-

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

He continues to create works with themes of indigenous landscapes, folklore, itinerant performers, hot spring resorts, and disaster-stricken areas, focusing on the land and people remaining throughout Japan. As Ihei Kimura once remarked, his works "reek," known for their strong physical sensation that evokes the humidity and scent of the land, and even the presence of people.

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

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

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