<11：02> Nagasaki - Shomei Tomatsu

In 1960, Shomei Tomatsu (1930-2012) was offered the assignment of documenting the aftereffects of the atomic bomb which leveled Nagasaki in 1945 and the city's reconstruction. He knew little about Nagasaki and like many Japanese had chosen not to confront the trauma of the bombing. But on exploring the city, he was shocked by the depth of the scars and the lingering effect on the survivors. That initial assignment resulted in Hiroshima-Nagasaki Document 1961, a collaboration with Ken Domon, and a lifelong interest in the city. Further visits in the early 1960s resulted in the 1966 publication, 11:02 Nagasaki, arguably one of the most significant books of modern Japanese photography. Despite the title reference to the moment the bomb exploded and froze the iconic watch pictured on the cover, the book is as much a William Klein-like tour of a city or a Paul Strand-like record of a "place." However, in Tomatsu's editing, that fateful moment in 1945 echoes throughout, either literally in images of the victims and objects left behind or in more symbolic ways such as the presence of the U.S. military and the spread of American pop culture. As with so much of Tomatsu's work, a major theme of 11:02 Nagasaki is the collision of east and west, and the cultural and moral repercussions that followed.

Texts by Tamaki Motoi and quotes by survivors in Japanese. b&w gravure-printed plates.

In excellent condition.

first edition

stock number: AB213