Description: Ashiya Camera Club (1930- 1942):

The Ashiya Camera Club (ACC) was founded in 1930 by Iwata Nakayama, Hanaya Kanbey and other local amateur photographers from the Ashiya area near Kobe, Japan. Other members included Kichinosuke Benitani, Seiji Korai, Kenichiro Yamakawa and Juzo Matsubara. The members of the ACC practised various design concepts that were perceived as being too radical at the time within the Japanese photo community. They experimented with various photographic techniques already occurring in the West such as Dadaist photomontage, photograms and abstract compositions, but did so with a uniquely Japanese form of expression. From 1930 to 1942 the members of the ACC were some of the most influential modernist photographers in Japan practicing radical design concepts they labeled “Shinko Shashin” or new photography movement.

This book was produced in conjunction with a major exhibition on the ACC held at the Ashiya City Museum of Art in 1998. It contains 89 full page plates beautifully printed on Japanse washi paper with one photograph per plate. There are also 22 pages of Japanese text that details much history and informstion about the club from 1930 to 1942. Soft cover, a scarce title that has been out of print for over a decade.

Condition: excellent.