Quinault

Yoshio Ueda's photo book "QUINAULT" is a representative work from the early to mid-1990s, marking a significant turning point in his career as a photographer. Set in the primeval forests of Washington State, named "Virgin Forest" by Native Americans, the images captured with an 8x10 large format camera depict the dense humidity, silence, and the depths of the forest where life and death intertwine.

Ueda was deeply drawn to this forest, which he encountered while searching for locations for portrait photography. Day after day, he roamed the forest, carrying his equipment, taking photographs in search of "something residing in the forest." This experience culminated in "portraits of trees" that transcended mere landscape depiction, serving as an opportunity to re-examine the fundamental power of photography.

The illustrations in this book are an attempt to capture not just nature as an object, but the invisible presence and "power" itself, evoking a strong physical sensation in the viewer. As Ueda himself describes it as "the beginning of photography," the birth of "new photography" is inscribed here.

Later, this experience in the forest led to photography in Yakushima, culminating in the photo book "Materia." The high-quality bookbinding, which resonates with the beauty and tension of the illustrations, is also a major appeal of this book, making it a work where photography and materiality are linked at a high level.

First edition published by Kyoto Shoin in 1993. Later reissued by Seigensha in 2003.
Yoshio Ueda's origin and masterpiece. Book design by Kaoru Kasai.

[Title] Quinault
[Publisher] Seigensha
[Publication Date] 1993 (First Edition)
[Page Count] Unpaginated
[Size] Approx. 260*366*19mm / 1,420g
[Format] Softcover
[Language] Japanese, English
[Title Reading] QUINAULT
[Author/Editor] Yoshihiko Ueda/Author, Kyoichi Tsuzuki/Editor, Kaoru Kasai/Design
[Printing] Kyoto Shoin/Printer
[ISBN]9784763686046
[Condition] Used 【4】Good to Fair (Tanned/stained on all three sides, slight damage to edges, slight scratches on cover)
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Yoshihiko Ueda (Ueda, Yoshihiko) 1957‐

Born in Hyogo Prefecture in 1957, currently residing in Kanagawa Prefecture.
After graduating from Osaka School of Photography (now Osaka Visual Arts Academy) in 1979, he apprenticed under Masanobu Fukuda and Taiji Arita, then became independent in 1982. He has developed his artistic practice alongside commercial photography, earning high acclaim both domestically and internationally as one of Japan's leading photographers.

In the early 1990s, he significantly transformed his photographic expression with his representative work "QUINAULT" (1993), which depicted the sacred forests of Native Americans. Since then, he has continued to release a wide range of works, from portraits to landscapes, including "AMAGATSU" (1995), which captured avant-garde dancer Ushio Amagatsu, "at Home" (2006), which focused on his family, and "Materia" (2012), which delved into the essence of life. In recent years, he has published "FOREST Impressions and Memories 1989-2017" (2018), "68TH STREET" (2018), "Māter" (2022), and "Itsudemo Yume wo" (2023).

His numerous awards include the Photographic Society of Japan's Artist Award (2014), the Tokyo ADC Award, and the New York ADC Award. From 2011 to 2018, he directed Gallery 916, and served as a professor at Tama Art University from 2014 to 2025. In 2021, he directed, wrote, and photographed the film "The Garden of Camellias," expanding his activities beyond the realm of photography.

His works are housed in institutions such as the National Library of France, Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, New Mexico Arts, and Hermès International.

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Yoshihiko Ueda