Daido Moriyama - Places in My Memory - 1984

Places in My Memory

Daido Moriyama
Asahi Shimbun/1984/Japanese/135*198*18

This is a collection of works by Daido Moriyama, one of Japan's most renowned photographers, titled “Dog's Memory / Places in My Memory (With OBI).” This book is a compilation of a 15-month series published in “Asahi Camera” from 1982 to 1983, and is Moriyama's first collection of essays. The book is divided into two parts: “Dog's Memory,” which traces Moriyama's memories from his childhood, and “My Photographic Diary,” a semi-autobiographical account of Moriyama's photographic journey added for this book. In particular, “My Photographic Diary” evokes a world akin to a morning drama series, depicting Moriyama's transition from designer to photographer. After working as an assistant under Takuji Iwamiya in Osaka, inspired by William Klein's “New York” and Shomei Tomatsu's “Occupation,” Moriya moved to Tokyo with a letter of introduction to VIVO, only to find that VIVO had recently dissolved. He became an assistant to Hideo Hosoe, who had been handling matters at VIVO's office, and spent his days interacting with Tomatsu. The content, which traces Japanese photographic history through encounters with Yamagishi Shōji, editor-in-chief of *Camera Mainichi*, and Nakahira Takuma, and his involvement with PROVOKE, is rich in historical documentation and highly engaging.