Japanese Photography Magazines : A Japanese Book

Japanese Photography Magazines

The photobook is usually the last step of the photography publication process and, even though this is no foolproof rule, its existence itself depends heavily on two other channels at least: photo exhibitions, and publication in photography magazines.

Photography magazines are the true anteroom and incubator of photobooks. Not only do they provide income and advertisement for the photographers, but they are also the main publishers's trial and training ground for young and promising photographers, and editors play a capital role in the process.

One could arguably mark Asahi Camera (Asahi Shinbun Shuppansha), Camera Mainichi (Mainichi Shinbun Shuppansha), Taiyo Monthly (Heibon-sha) and their variants, as the most influential photography magazines in XXth-century Japan, which have fostered generations of professional photographers. Brand-oriented publications — Canon / Nikkor / Rokkor Annuals & their special issues — obviously also played a significant role.

There are at least two more reasons for stressing the importance of Japanese photography magazines for collectors.

Firstly, photography magazines are a mine of renowned photographers' pictures that are still unpublished in a photobook form — and this only is a real treat. Also, those who worry less about the photographer's name than about the quality of the photographs will find plenty of remarkable works that simply didn't get the chance to be publicized or photobook-ed.

Secondly, most series entailed in photobooks were first published and / or serialized in photography magazines, and there do these photographs find their intended shape — a very original and refreshing shape to the educated eye, due to magazine paper and printing, more than often of outstanding quality — sometimes even better than the later-published photobooks themselves.

Some talk about 'pre-publication', from a restricted photobook point of view, while this is in fact a different world, not a lesser prequel but a beautiful original. Here is a selection of Japan's best photography magazines. Enjoy.

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Quick Links

Asahi Camera / Graph / Specials
Camera (ARS)
Camera Mainichi / Mainichi Graph
Canon Annual
Déjà-Vu
Heibon Punch
Nikkor Annual / Special Issues
Nippon Camera
Pentax Annual
Playboy Japan
Shagaku
Shashin Eizo / Photo Image
Taiyo Monthly
Wave
Other

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Liens vers les descriptions détaillées :
Links to the detailed descriptions:

Asahi Camera / Graph
and Special issues

Asahi Camera

Asahi Camera 1973/08
Special China : SHINOYAMA Kishin / KIMURA Ihei / KITAI Kazuo
KITAI Kazuo / TAKANASHI Yutaka / YOKOSUKA Noriaki / OSAKI Norio / YOSHIDA Daiho / MORIYAMA Daido
(1973)

Asahi Camera 1975/6
SHINOYAMA Kishin : Chikuho / KIMURA Ihei : Street Corners
KITAI Kazuo / MORIYA Yushi / TOMATSU Shomei / ARAKI Nobuyoshi / TAKANASHI Yutaka
(1975)

Asahi Camera Annual

Asahi Camera Annual 1960
KIMURA Ihei / HOSOE Eikoh / DOMON Ken / ISHIMOTO Yasuhiro / MIDORIKAWA Yoichi / NARAHARA Ikko / NAITO Masatoshi / NAGANO Shigeichi
(1960)

Asahi Camera Annual 1969
MORIYAMA Daido / OGAWA Takayuki / SHINOYAMA Kishin / 1968 Campus Rebels
(1969)

Asahi Camera Special Issues

Asahi Camera
The World's Photographic Masterpieces
(1940)

Camera Asahi Masterclass Series
KIMURA Ihei / NAKAMURA Rikko / SHIMADA Kinsuke / OTSUKA Gen / NAKAMURA Masaya..
(6 vol. / 1959-1960)

Asahi Camera Special
KIMURA Ihei no Sekai
(1974)

Asahi Camera Special
Warera Shashin Sedai 35-nen
SHINOYAMA Kishin / OTAKE Shoji / INAMURA Takamasa / HAYASHI Tadahiko / VIVO / Provoke
(1979)

Asahi Camera Special
KIMURA Ihei : Ikinokoru Shashin
(1979)

Asahi Special Issue
ARAKI Nobuyoshi : Shashin Seikatsu
(1981)

Asahi Camera Special : Ima, Shashin to wa
FUKASE Masahisa / MORIYAMA Daido / ISHIUCHI Miyako / KITAJIMA Keizo
(1983)

Asahi Graph / Graphic

Asahi Graphic
Tokyo Olympics
(1964)

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Ars Camera

Ars Camera 1952/10
FUKUDA Katsuji / DOMON Ken / INAMURA Takamasa / TOMATSU Shomei
(1952)

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Camera Mainichi / Mainichi Graph
and Special issues

Camera Mainichi

Camera Mainichi 1965/03
SHINOYAMA Kishin / ONO Genjiro / FUKASE Masahisa / OKURA Shunji
(1965)

Mainichi Graph / Graphic

The Mainichi Graphic
Tokyo Olympics 1964
(1964)

Mainichi Graphic Special
100 years of Japanese Railways & Steam Locomotives
(1972)

Camera Mainichi / Mainichi Graph
Special Issues

Mainichi Graphic Special
FUJI-SAN
(1970)

Camera Mainichi
New Nude
(3 vol. / 1983 1985 1986)

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Canon Annual

Canon Annual 1978
AKIYAMA Shotaro / IWAMIYA Takeji / ASAI Shimpei / TOMATSU Shomei / TAKANASHI Yutaka / TATSUKI Yoshihiro / ARAKI Nobuyoshi / HAMAGUCHI Takashi
(1978)

Canon Annual 1981 (1981)
AKIYAMA Shotaro / ASAI Shimpei / TOMATSU Shomei / TANUMA Takeyoshi / TATSUKI Yoshihiro..

Canon Annual 2004
50th Anniversary Canon Club 1954-2004
(2004)

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Déjà-Vu

See the dedicated review / Voir la revue détaillée
déjà-vu (1990-1995)

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Heibon Punch

Weekly Heibon Punch 10/18
(1971)

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Nikkor Annual / Special

Nikkor Annual

Nikkor Annual 1980-1981
UEDA Shoji / HOSOE Eikoh / ITOH Meitoku / ISHIUCHI Miyako / ARAKI Nobuyoshi / TSUCHIDA Hiromi
(1981)

Nikkor Annual 1994-1995
SATO Akira / NARAHARA Ikko / TSUCHIDA Hiromi / WATANABE Yoshio / TOMATSU Shomei / NUMATA Sanae / ARINO Eimu / NAGANO Shigeichi / ISHIMOTO Yasuhiro / MORINAGA Jun / ARAMASA Taku / ENARI Tsuneo
(1995)

Nikkor Annual 1998-1999
SATO Akira / TOMIYAMA Haruo / ARAKI Nobuyoshi / MORIMURA Yasumasa / NARAHARA Ikko / MORIYAMA Daido / YOKOSUKA Noriaki / UEDA Shoji / NAGANO Shigeichi / TSUCHIDA Hiromi
(1999)

Nikkor Annual 1999-2000
NARAHARA Ikko / SATO Akira / ENARI Tsuneo / TANUMA Takeyoshi / SASAKI Kon / HOMMA Takashi / KURATA Seiji / TSUCHIDA Hiromi / SHIBATA Toshio / ISHIUCHI Miyako / ARAMASA Taku / MIYAMOTO Ryuji / HASHIGUCHI Joji
(2000)

Nikkor Special

KIMURA Ihei
Nikkor Special Kimura Ihei
(1974)

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Nippon Camera

Nippon Camera : Nude no Utsukushisa
AKIYAMA Shotaro / NAKAMURA Rikko / OTAKE Shuji / NAKAMURA Masaya / ISSHIKI Issei / SUGIYAMA Kira
(1979)

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Pentax Annual

Pentax Photo Annual 1995-1996
Sam HASKINS / UEDA Shoji / AKIYAMA Shotaro / NUMATA Sanae / NARAHARA Ikko / YAMAGISHI Shin / SAWATARI Hajime / FUJII Hideki / TANUMA Takeyoshi
(1995)

Pentax Photo Annual 1996-1997
NARAHARA Ikko / UEDA Shoji / YAMAMOTO Kenzo / OTAKE Shoji / FUJII Hideki / ASAI Shimpei / KITAO Junzo / MIDORIKAWA Yoichi / TANUMA Takeyoshi
(1996)

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Playboy / Art Playboy Japan

Art Playboy. Spring 1969 : SHINOYAMA Kishin
Sam HASKINS / John d GREEN / Wingate PAINE / Don ORNITZ / NAKAMURA Masaya / AKIYAMA Shotaro / TATSUKI Yoshihiro
(1969)

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Shagaku

Shagaku 3/5
SHINOYAMA Kishin / HASHIGUCHI Joji / TAKAHASHI Keiichi
(1982)

SHAGAKU 5/4
SHINOYAMA Kishin : ONO Yoko & Sean LENNON / TSUCHIDA Hiromi : Gokuraku Jodo / SAWATARI Hajime : HARADA Tomoyo / NAKAMURA Hisami
(1984)

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Shashin Eizo / Photo Image

Kikan Shashin Eizo / The Photo Image 1
HOSOE Eikoh / Christer STROMHOLM / MORINAGA Jun / YAMANOUCHI Reiko / TAKEI Satoshi / TANAKA Chotoku / UNETA Kenji / Hokkaido Frontier
(1969)

Kikan Shashin Eizo / Photo Image 2
FUKASE Masahisa / TOMATSU Shomei / YANAGISAWA Shin / MURASE Hideaki / Ei-Q
(1969)

Kikan Shashin Eizo / Photo Image 3
SHINOYAMA Kishin / Ed VAN DER EISKEN / MORIYAMA Daido / KIMURA Tsunehisa / TANAI Mizuo
(1969)

Kikan Shashin Eizo / The Photo Image 5
KAWADA Kikuji / Leslie KRIMS / NAITO Masatoshi / FUKASE Masahisa / TATSUMI Shiro / ARAKI Nobuyoshi / TANIGAWA Koichi
(1970)

Kikan Shashin Eizo / The Photo Image 6
ISHIOKA Eiko / OGAWA Takayuki / TAKANASHI Yutaka / NAKAHIRA Takuma / ARAKI Nobuyoshi / TATSUMI Shiro
(1970)

Sashin Eizo / Photo Image 8
KIMURA Tsunehisa / Duane MICKALS / TATSUKI Yoshihiro / TOMATSU Shomei / YANAGISAWA Shin / YOKOO Tadanori
(1971)

Sashin Eizo / Photo Image 9
HOSOE Eikoh / Allen A. DUTTON / KAWAHITO Tadayuki / MORINAGA Jun / NAITO Tadayuki
(1971)

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Taiyo Monthly Deluxe

Taiyo Monthly Deluxe 13
First Anniversary Issue
ARAKI Nobuyoshi : Sacchin / OKURA Shunji / SONOBE Kiyoshi / DOMON Ken
(1964)

TAIYO Monthly Deluxe 24
Nikko / Japanese Housing & Interior Design
IWAMIYA Takeji / SHIMAUCHI Eisuke / Rene BURRI / KIKUCHI Shunkichi / ITO Narimi / MURAI Osamu / SHIRAHATA Shiro
(1965)

Taiyo Monthly Deluxe 96
NAGAI Kafu / TAKEHISA Yumeji / Okinawa
HOSOE Eikoh / SHINOYAMA Kishin / SATO Akira / YANAGISAWA Shin
(1971)

Taiyo Monthly Deluxe 120
Kobo Daishi KUKAI / The Pilgrim's Route / Peking Palace Museum
ARAKI Nobuyoshi / ISHIMOTO Yasuhiro / SHIMIZU Masao / IDE Joji
(1973)

Taiyo Monthly Deluxe 131
HIROSHIGE / SHINOYAMA Kishin
TSUCHIDA Hiromi / ARAKI Nobuyoshi / AKASEGAWA Genpei
(1974)

Taiyo Monthly Deluxe #134
Zen Buddhism / HOSOE Eikoh
(1974)

Taiyo Monthly Deluxe 149
Lyric Poems for Youth / Japanese Dolls
ITO Shinkichi / SAKAMOTO Masafumi / ARAKI Nobuyoshi / SUMITA Atsuki / IRIE Taikichi
(1975)

Taiyo Monthly Deluxe 153
Special TAKEHISA Yumeji
MIDORIKAWA Yoichi / ISHIMOTO Yasuhiro / Lilly STUNZI / HANI Susumu
(1976)

Taiyo Monthly Deluxe 168
Man-yo-shu / Li Dynasty Furniture / Norway - Laps
HOSOE Eikoh / MURAI Osamu / TANUMA Takeyoshi
(1977)

Taiyo Monthly Deluxe 178
Oda-Nobunaga / Taiheiki Chronicle / Yugoslavia
HOSOE Eikoh / NAGANO Shigeichi / FUJITSUKA Haruo
(1978)

See also the dedicated review / Voir aussi la revue détaillée
Taiyo Special Issues

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WAVE

WAVE #18
New Age Japanese Photography
INOSE Kou / SHIBATA Toshio / MIYAMOTO Ryuji / HAYASHI Takanobu / FUGO Hitoshi / KOYAMA Hotaro / KON Michiko / KITAJIMA Keizo / OKADA Hatsuhiko / SAIGA Yuji / etc.
(1988)

WAVE #30
Japanese Photography in the 1960s-1970s
(1991)

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Other Photography Magazines
Atelier / Geijutsu Shincho / Penthouse Japan / Photo Art / Photo Japon
Sankei Camera / Studio Voice / Switch / This