Katsuhito Nakazato: Bayside Wilderness

Katsuhito Nakazato's first photo book, published in 1991.

In the 1980s, as Japan headed towards its bubble economy, the Tokyo Bay coastal area underwent unprecedented transformation. Large-scale development plans such as Makuhari Messe, Minato Mirai 21, the Urayasu Bay Area, and the Tokyo Bay Crossing Road were underway one after another, and just before the futuristic new towns were about to become a reality, a temporary empty area was created along the bay.

What Nakazato captured was the original landscape of the bay area that emerged only just before the project was completed. On the reclaimed land that was still being developed, tall goldenrod grew thick, and crayfish, dragonflies, wild birds, and stray dogs appeared, while at the same time, people such as biker gangs and musicians came and went. It was a fleeting paradise, a virgin land, that had momentarily escaped the control of the city and was returning to "nature."

With the completion of the futuristic city, all of this scenery was buried under man-made structures. This book is a valuable collection of early works that records the now-lost bayside where nature and man-made objects coexisted while competing with each other.

[Title] The Man-made Wilderness of Tokyo Bay, 1983-1989 by Kazuto Nakazato
[Publisher] Rokko Publishing
[Publication date] November 10, 1991 (first edition)
[Number of pages] 95 pages
[Size] Approx. 215*255*12mm
[Format] Hardcover
[Language] Japanese
[Title reading] Wangangenya
[Authors/Editors] Katsuhito Nakazato/Author, Hideki Nito/Design
[Printing] Keiseisha Printing/Printing, Large-scale Bookbinding Printing/Bookbinding
[ISBN] 4-8453-9036-1
[Condition] Used [ 6 ] Above average to average (cover spine faded)
[Accessories] None
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Katsuhito Nakazato (1956-)

Born in Taki Town, Mie Prefecture in 1956.
Graduated from the Department of Geography, Faculty of Letters, Hosei University in 1978. Photographer. Professor Emeritus at Tokyo Zokei University.

He continues to create works that focus on the theme of "social landscapes," where human intervention and nature coexist, such as reclaimed land, waterfront areas, nightscapes, alleys, and huts across Japan. Starting with his first photo collection, "Wangan Genya" (1991), which documented the Tokyo Bay area in the 1980s, he has captured fleeting landscapes that appear on the outskirts of cities and on land under development from a poetic and critical perspective.

His major photo books include "Wangan Genya" (Rokuko Publishing), "Portrait of a Hut" (Media Factory), "Chilliko Town" (Wise Publishing), "Alleys" (Seiryu Publishing), "R" (Toseisha), "ULTRA" (Nippon Camera Co.), "Night in Earth" and "URASHIMA" (Sokkyusha).
He has held numerous solo and group exhibitions both in Japan and overseas. Since 2000, he has been actively involved in photo installations and workshops, and has presented his work overseas in countries such as Germany, Russia, and South Korea.

He has received the 15th Photography Society Award in 2003 and the Sagamihara Photography Newcomer Encouragement Award in 2005. His works are held in the collections of Sagamihara City Museum of Art, Ashikaga City Museum of Art, and the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts in Russia, among others.

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