For "The Children of Washington Heights"

An exhibition booklet for Masao Yamamura's "Children of Washington Heights." This 500-copy limited edition was published by Yagisha in 2013, coinciding with the photo exhibition "And the Land of Innocence " held at the Nikon Salon in Osaka.

Washington Heights was a residential area in Yoyogi, Tokyo, for US military personnel and their families after World War II. Spreading around the present-day Yoyogi Park, National Yoyogi Stadium, and NHK Broadcasting Center, it was a "little America within Japan," isolated from the rest of Japan at the time.

Between 1959 and 1962, Yamamura visited Washington Heights and photographed the American children living there, leaving behind hundreds of portraits. This work marks the earliest period of Yamamura's career, who later received the first Ina Nobuo Award for "To Plants," and these works were rarely exhibited widely during his lifetime.

This book includes several photographs by Masao Yamamura, along with texts by Yoshio Kataoka, Ryuta Imafuku, and Tatsu Okunari. It explores memory, America, Japan, and the gaps in time, using the unique place that existed in a corner of Tokyo during the period from the occupation to rapid economic growth, and the faces of the children who lived there, as clues.

This is the first volume in Yagisha's series "A Single Photograph Is a Secret About a Secret." It is a book that, in conjunction with the photo exhibition, aims to unravel Masao Yamamura's lesser-known early works.

[Title] A Single Photograph Is a Secret About a Secret Series 1: For Masao Yamamura's "Children of Washington Heights"
[Publisher] Yagisha
[Publication Date] April 1, 2013
[Page Count] 59 pages
[Size] Approx. 120 x 191 x 5mm / 60g
[Format] Softcover
[Language] Japanese
[Title Reading] ICHIMAI NO SHASHIN TO WA ARU HIMTSU O MEGURU HITOTSU NO HIMTSU DE ARU SOUSHO 1
[Author/Editor, etc.] Masao Yamamura/Photographs, Yoshio Kataoka/Text, Ryuta Imafuku/Text, Tatsu Okunari/Text, Yusaku Hosoya/Editing & Design
[Printing] Tokyo Insatsu-kan/Printing & Binding
[ISBN] -
[Condition] Used [4] Fair to Below Average (Slight foxing on cover and endpapers)
[Accessories] -
[Featured In] -
[Related Exhibition] Masao Yamamura Photo Exhibition "And the Land of Innocence "/Osaka Nikon Salon/2013

Masao Yamamura (1939-1987)

Born in Osaka Prefecture. Moved to Tokyo shortly after birth, spending his boyhood and youth in Kanda Suda-cho. Started photography while attending Tamagawa Gakuen, and in 1958, entered the Department of Photography, College of Art, Nihon University. Published his works in photography magazines and contests while still a student.

From 1959 to 1962, he photographed American children living in Washington Heights, Yoyogi, Tokyo. In 1963, he exhibited at the "Contemporary Photography Exhibition" at the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, and in 1967, held his first solo exhibition, "Coronation to Extravagance."

From the 1970s, he began working on botanical themes, and in 1976, held a solo exhibition "To Plants" at the Nikon Salon. He published a photobook of the same name and received the first Ina Nobuo Award. He continued to present works capturing plants from his unique perspective, but passed away suddenly in 1987. The following year, in 1988, the photobook "Flower Hunt" was published, and a memorial exhibition "And Flower Hunt" was held.

In 1999, "Monochrome: The Work of Masao Yamamura," a compilation of his works, was published. In 2012, "Children of Washington Heights," featuring his earliest unpublished works, was published by Yagisha, and exhibitions were held in various locations.

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Yoshio Kataoka, Ryuta Imafuku, Tatsu Okunari, Eikoh Hosoe