Yoshinaga Masayuki - I'm Sorry (Photo Musée)

"I'm Sorry" is a photo book by Japanese photographer Masayuki Yoshinaga, considered one of his early masterpieces. Published in 2000 as a Photo Musée edition, this book condenses his long-standing engagement with people referred to as "outsiders."

Bōsōzoku (biker gangs), Zainichi (ethnic Koreans in Japan), rockabillies, gangsters, manual laborers, yakuza, drag queens—his gaze, which captures people living on the fringes of society with a distance that eliminates exaggeration and staging, possesses an intensity that transcends mere documentation. A significant feature of this book is also the raw reflection of the photographer's own experiences of wandering and labor in his physical sensation and relationship with his subjects.

Furthermore, his approach, which distinguishes itself from superficial sensationalism and strives to capture the "as-is" state of his subjects, can be seen as a form of social documentary for Yoshinaga—the practice of "welfare through photography." The diverse human figures he encountered in urban settings, including Juso in Osaka, were highly praised as an attempt to visualize the less visible strata of Japanese society.

Art direction is by Hideki Nakajima, and the appendix includes a contribution by Fumihiro Hayashi, the legendary editor known for his magazine "DUNE," who passed away suddenly in 2011.
An essential and dense book for understanding the origins of Masayuki Yoshinaga.

[Title] I'm Sorry (Photo Musée)
[Publisher] Shinchosha
[Publication Date] February 10, 2000
[Page Count] 255 pages
[Size] Approximately 150*203*23mm / 673g
[Format] Softcover
[Language] Japanese/English
[Title Reading] MŌSHIWAKE GOZAIMASEN FOTOMYUZĒ
[Author/Editor] Masayuki Yoshinaga/Author, Hideki Nakajima/Art Direction & Design, Fumihiro Hayashi/Commentary
[Printing] Dainippon Printing/Printing, Kato Seihon/Binding
[ISBN] 4106024365
[Condition] Used 【6】Good to Average (Obi spine faded/slightly rubbed)
[Accessories] Obi
[Featured In] -
[Related Exhibitions] 2013 "I’m sorry" ROONEY (Tokyo), 2017 "I’m Sorry – Photographs from his book ‘ For These Naked Apologies ’" GALLERY ZERO (Osaka)

Masayuki Yoshinaga  1964

Born in Juso, Osaka in 1964. Photographer.
After experiencing various jobs such as newspaper delivery, plasterer, and working in the nightlife industry, he entered the field of photography. After graduating from the evening course at Osaka School of Photography, working in a studio, and assisting several photographers, he became independent in 1995.

He consistently photographs people often relegated to the fringes of Japanese society, such as biker gangs, kogals (a subculture of young women), and foreign residents. His close proximity to his subjects and his direct, powerful gaze have brought to light the realities of modern Japan.

His representative works include "Nippon Takaine," "Zoku," "I'm Sorry," and "SENTO."
He has held numerous solo and group exhibitions both in Japan and abroad and is highly acclaimed overseas in places like London and New York. He is one of the photographers who record contemporary Japanese street culture and subcultures.

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