Hokkaido

Tuscon: Nazraeli Press, 2006. Hardcover. Corners bumped (not affecting images), light wear to covers and slipcase. 12.5 x 11.5 inches. 84 images. Wooden boards, cloth spine; original slipcase with paper label. First edition, one of 5000 copies, signed by Kenna on the title-page. Text in Japanese and English. Introduction by Dado Moriyama. Designed by Hideyuki Taguchi and Chris Pichler. All plates reproduced 1:1 from original sepia-toned silver gelatin prints. "When Michael Kenna's now-legendary book Japan was published in 2003, it was hailed as not only the most beautiful of the artist's numerous publications, but also one of the most powerful and successful photographic works on place that has ever been published. In this monograph, Hokkaido, Kenna has refined his clarity of vision to a whole new level. The Northern Japanese island of Hokkaido has abundant natural forests, clear lakes, and magnificent mountains. It is perhaps best known for its intense and brutal winters. Snow and ice make many parts of the island inaccessible and the local Sea of Okhotsk routinely freezes over. Kenna has been photographing throughout Hokkaido, in these extreme conditions, for the past several years. The 84 photographs in this book are the result of his explorations. Beautifully printed on heavy, uncoated Japanese paper using special black inks, Hokkaido is bound in thin maple wooden boards and housed in a special slipcase. The book is designed by renowned Japanese designer Hideyuki Taguchi, and opens with an introduction by Daido Moriyama. Published to coincide with a major exhibition of Kenna's work opening in Spring 2006 at the Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography" (the publisher). Signed copies of this are uncommon.