Man and Woman / Otoko to Onna

8vo (235 x 180 mm), pp.[60]. 34 black-and-white photographs printed in gravure, texts by Taro Yamamoto, Ed van der Elsken and Tatsuo Fukushima, design by Minoru Araki. Original yellow paper-covered boards, upper side lettered in grey. Original colour pictorial dust-jacket; short closed tear and rubbing to foot of spine. Original white card slipcase, printed in black and grey; very lightly rubbed. Original grey obi, printed in black; light sunning and a short closed tear to lower edge. Publisher’s card tipped on to last page. Hosoe’s signature in silver ink to front free endpaper. Near-fine.

First edition, signed copy. This is the first collaboration between Hosoe and Tatsumi Hijikata, founder of the Butoh dance movement. The collaboration began in 1959 when Hosoe attended a performance of Hijikata’s adaptation of Yukio Mishima’s Kinjiki [Forbidden Colours]. The photographs here are of members of Hijikata’s group interpreting ideas of sexuality and the relationship between men and women. Hosoe, like many Japanese photographers at the time, was influenced by the work of Ed van der Elsken, who had recently spent some time in Japan whilst working on his book Sweet Life. They becamefriends and van der Elsken contributed a text to this book. Coincidentally it was Dutch travellers who introduced photography to Japan between 1839-40.

Regards sur un siècle de photographie à travers le livre, (128); Parr, M. and Badger, G., The Photobook: A History, Vol.I, p.279; Auer, M. and M., 802 photo books, p.413.