Jun Morinaga River, Its Shadow of Shadows

Japanese photographer Jun Morinaga's first photo book, "River, Its Shadow of Shadows," features works taken over a period of about a year and a half in Tokyo in the early 1960s, a time of rapid economic growth. His images, capturing driftwood, oil films, and accumulated mud and sludge on the water's surface, create a unique world of figurative expression that lies somewhere between the concrete and the abstract.

Morinaga served as an assistant to photographer W. Eugene Smith from 1962, where he studied his vision and ideas up close. This book features contributions from Smith, as well as critics Masashi Ichikawa, Koichi Tanigawa, and Seigo Matsuoka. Morinaga himself also contributed an essay titled "Light is the thing, the work, and the spirit."

The bookbinding was handled by designer Kohei Sugiura, who is also known for his photo book "Map."
This is an important book in the history of Japanese photography, combining photography, thought, and book design at a high level.

[Title] River, Its Shadow of Shadows
[Publisher] Yugensha
[Publication date] February 2, 1978 (first edition)
[Number of pages] pages
[Size] Approx. 278*313*25mm
[Format] Hardcover
[Language] Japanese
[Title Reading] Kawa Ruye
[Authors/Editors] Jun Morinaga/Author, Kohei Sugiura/Bookbinding and Composition, Hitoshi Suzuki/Bookbinding and Composition
[Printing] Printing by Nihon Sha Printing, Binding by Yamada Daisei-do
[ISBN] None
[Condition] Used [5] Average (Box slightly damaged, faded over time, slight stains)
[Accessories] Box
[Featured book] -
[Related Exhibitions]

Jun Morinaga (1937-2018)

Born in Nagasaki City, Nagasaki Prefecture in 1937.
He graduated from the Department of Photography, College of Art, Nihon University in 1960. After working in the photography department at Iwanami Productions in 1961, he became an assistant to photographer W. Eugene Smith in 1962. In 1969, he held a solo exhibition, "Moment Monument," at Nikon Salon, and won the 13th Japan Photo Critics Association Newcomer Award.
In 1978, he published the photo book River: Reflections, and in 1980 he won the Photographic Society of Japan's Annual Award.
He established his own unique style through monochrome works that focus on water surfaces, such as urban rivers and ocean waves.
His works are held in the collections of the Tokyo Photographic Art Museum and the National Gallery of Canada, among others.
He passed away on April 5, 2018, due to heart failure at the age of 80.

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