To the Subject Who Photographs: Shooting / Being Shot / Being Made to Shoot / Being Able to Shoot — Reading Only the Introduction to 'A History of Japanese Photography (Vol. 1 & 2)' (#18)
Preface
I will continue the 'Reading Only the Introduction/Prologue' series. Before buying new books, I am picking out 'only the introductions' from my pile of unread books to update the map of my own 'agency'—my capacity to act.
So far, I have walked through (1) stories where objects/technology move the subject (ANT/STS), (2) stories where humans themselves are updated (post-human/ontology/body), and (3) community and desire (the subject within society).
Next, we finally move to IV. The Subject Who Photographs . Shooting / Being Shot / Being Made to Shoot / Being Able to Shoot—within this 'gap,' photography has become a device that goes beyond 'recording what is seen' to reconfigure social behavior.
The second installment (#18) is the 'Introduction' to Manabu Torihara's 'A History of Japanese Photography (Vol. 1 & 2).' From this, we receive a map that captures Japanese photography not just as 'works of art,' but as a 'photographic environment' (technology, media, institutions, markets, and daily life).
Bibliography and Author Introduction
Bibliography
Manabu Torihara, 'A History of Japanese Photography (Vol. 1): From the Bakumatsu and Meiji Restoration to the Era of High Economic Growth' (Chuko Shinsho) (Chuokoron-Shinsha)
Manabu Torihara, 'A History of Japanese Photography (Vol. 2): From the Era of Stable Economic Growth to Post-3.11' (Chuko Shinsho) (Chuokoron-Shinsha)
ISBN (Colophon Information): Vol. 1 = ISBN978-4-12-102247-9 / Vol. 2 = ISBN978-4-12-102248-6
Author (Manabu Torihara)
Photography critic. He is introduced as someone involved in writing, education, and exhibition planning, taking the stance of tracing the history and culture of photography not just through the study of works, but through the 'transition of the environment surrounding photography.' (Chikuma Shobo)
Summary of the 'Introduction' (Respecting the text)
1) Technological innovation reshapes not only 'how to shoot' but also 'social roles'
The introduction begins by establishing the perspective that the social role of photography has been updated in conjunction with technological innovation (and the practices it enables). For example, in the 1920s and 30s, snapshots became popular due to small, high-performance cameras (like the Leica), and cameras were brought into various indoor and outdoor locations, spreading a culture of recording 'fleeting images'—this is the introduction.
2) Photography acquires the 'logic of reporting' in conjunction with 'editing, printing, and layout'
Snapshot culture, combined with advances in editing, layout, and publishing technology, accelerated photojournalism (news photography). The logic conceptualized here is to 'objectively depict facts and lead society in a better direction.' However, the introduction shows a stance of viewing the history of photography as a 'history of concepts,' where that logic itself is criticized and updated according to social conditions.
3) Post-war to the era of high economic growth: From realism to subjectivity, from community to the individual
In the 1950s, Ken Domon's realism (plus influence from the US) served as a turning point, and the 'correctness' of photography and its 'relationship with society' were reorganized. In the 60s, photographic expression shifted from national/ethnic consciousness toward a more personal and subjective direction. The 'Introduction' organizes this by noting that the background to this shift includes changes in social structure, such as the dissolution of traditional communities and urbanization.
4) 70s onwards: Advertising and fashion; 90s onwards: Digital and the internet make photography 'infrastructure for daily life'
In the 70s, advertising and fashion photography emerged significantly, and photography expanded not only as 'expression' but also as the 'language of consumer society.' Furthermore, since the mid-90s, digitization and the internet have made photography a daily, private affair on a global scale, multiplying the forms of sharing (= changing the very nature of photography). ()
5) Even so, 'photography as art' is becoming stronger—how to explain this duality?
While photography is becoming generalized and decentralized, its artistic value is being established globally, and in Japan, museums, galleries, markets, and academia are driving its evaluation.'Photos anyone can take' and 'rare art photography'—how to grasp the correlation between these two is the major question presented by the 'Introduction,' and it becomes the backbone of the subsequent narrative.
6) Preview of Chapter Structure (Scope of Volumes 1 and 2)
The 'Introduction' previews the aims of each chapter roughly as follows (*this serves as a 'map' when reading the two volumes as a single work).
Introduction: The arrival of photography—the process by which photography was incorporated into social structures during the formation of the modern state
Chapter 1: The process by which photojournalism became the 'eyes of the state' alongside the expansion of print media from the Taisho period onward
Chapter 2: The process by which photographers, including those who collaborated during the war, rebuilt their subjectivity after the defeat, and how postwar sensibilities gave birth to new expressions
Chapter 3: The movement of young photographers from the 1960s to the high-growth period who sought to become independent from existing media
Chapter 4 (Vol. 2): The era of consumer society and visual magazines, the golden age of photography (e.g., 'an・an', 'Sharaku', 'Shashin Jidai', 'FOCUS', etc.) (Chuokoron-Shinsha)
Chapter 5 (Vol. 2): The digital shock from the mid-90s onward and the reorganization of expression, institutions, and historical narrative (Chuokoron-Shinsha)
Final Chapter (Vol. 2): The global re-evaluation of Japanese photography and its scope after 3.11
How the History of Photography is Told (The 'Narrative Style' of this Book)
This 'History of Japanese Photography' does not lean too heavily on the common 'biographies of genius photographers' or 'art history centered on masterpieces,' but rather attempts to tell the history of photography as an intersection of—
Technology (miniaturization/digitization of cameras)
Media (magazines, newspapers, publishing, editing, and layout)
Institutions (censorship, war, occupation, museums, education)
Market (photo books, exhibitions, collections)
Daily Life (snapshots, personal photography, sharing, normalization)
—In other words, it is a type of book that historicizes photography not as 'photography = image,' but as a 'photographic environment' that creates, circulates, and makes images believable.
Overview for Non-Readers (For Reiwa Humanists)
Instead of dividing photography into 'art' or 'record,' these two volumes offer a reading that hits home in this way:
Reading photography as a problem of 'subjectivity': How the subject who shoots / the subject who is shot / the subject who is made to shoot / the subject who ends up shooting was shaped by the media, institutions, and technology of each era.
Community to individual, state to market, film to the internet — tracing how the conditions of photography's 'reality' have changed along these axes. (Chuokoron-Shinsha)
From the perspective of Reiwa humanism, this book functions as one that cultivates **'literacy = the power to read photography as a social apparatus' rather than 'culture = knowledge of art appreciation'**.
Organizing the Issues (Where thoughts begin to emerge)
Technological innovation changes the 'social role of photography' before it changes expression.
Photojournalism established the logic of 'objectivity,' but that logic is also updated by society.
War, occupation, and censorship reshape the very institutions surrounding the 'truth' of photography (= photographic history is also political history). (Chuokoron-Shinsha
)
The period of high economic growth highlights the shift of photography from the 'public' to the 'private' (realism to subjectivity/personal photography).
Since the 70s, advertising, fashion, and magazines have become the primary stages for photography (= the verbalization of consumer society). (Chuokoron-Shinsha)
Since the mid-90s, digital technology and the internet have changed the nature of photography on a scale that 'renews 150 years of photographic history.' (Chuokoron-Shinsha)
The popularization/decentralization of photography and the strengthening of the scarcity and market value of art photography occur simultaneously (can this correlation be explained?).
The identity of 'Japanese photography' is being reconstructed not only in domestic history but also in the context of global re-evaluation.
Glossary (Minimum Set)
Snapshot: The practice of bringing a camera into everyday spaces and capturing 'moments' due to the spread of compact cameras.
Photojournalism: An institution of photography linked to editing and publishing technology that presents 'objective facts'.
Realism Photography: A trend in postwar Japan that pursued social issues (Ken Domon is mentioned as a nodal point in the introduction).
Personal Photography (Watashi Shashin): Photography rooted in individual life and relationships rather than the grand narratives of the state or society.
Photographic Environment: A perspective that views photography as a bundle of technology, media, institutions, markets, and life (the keynote of this book). (Chikuma Shobo)
Visual Magazines: Media groups that accelerated the circulation and desire for photography since the 70s (e.g., 'an・an'). (Chuokoron-Shinsha)
Digitization: A change that drastically reduced the costs of shooting, reproducing, and sharing, advancing photography as a life infrastructure. (Chuokoron-Shinsha)
Global Re-evaluation: The movement in which Japanese photography is being reorganized in overseas exhibitions, markets, and research (the subject of the final chapter).
Critical Analysis (Viewing Fairly)
Strengths
**"Photography = Social Apparatus"** perspective is strong, and because it attempts to depict the history of photography at the intersection of technology, media, and institutions, it becomes a "usable history" that is not confined to art appreciation.
Even just from the first volume, one can grasp the thread of how photography affects society: "Import -> Media Expansion -> War Propaganda -> Occupation Period -> Realism -> Private Themes." (Chuokoron-Shinsha)
The second volume summarizes magazines and consumer society, the golden age of photography, and the impact of digital technology as conditions of photographic culture. (Chuokoron-Shinsha)
Points of Caution (Potential Limitations)
While the narrative centered on the "photographic environment" is strong, some readers may feel that "individual artist work analysis (aesthetics/formal analysis)" is lacking (=need to be aware of where the book aims). (Chikuma Shobo)
Since the narrative moves toward the "identity of Japanese photography," readers who want to bring colonialism, border-crossing, and the periphery (who could shoot / who was shot) more to the forefront will need auxiliary lines.
Although it deals with the impact of "digitization," further reading is required to seriously read from post-SNS to post-generative AI (authenticity, aura, normalization of synthesis) (naturally outside the scope given the publication date of this book). (Chuokoron-Shinsha)
"Next Question" for You in #18 (Agency Connection)
What do you see when you line up shooting / being shot / being made to shoot / being able to shoot as differences in the "photographic environment" of each era? (e.g., Wartime = being made to shoot, Magazine Golden Age = being shot but commodified, Digital = being able to shoot becomes normalized, etc.)
References (Reference List Format)
Manabu Torihara, 'A History of Japanese Photography (Vol. 1) From the End of the Edo Period to the High Economic Growth Period', Chuokoron-Shinsha (Chuko Shinsho), 2013. (Chuokoron-Shinsha)
Manabu Torihara, 'A History of Japanese Photography (Vol. 2) From the Stable Growth Period to Post-3.11', Chuokoron-Shinsha (Chuko Shinsho), 2013. (Chuokoron-Shinsha)
Chuokoron-Shinsha 'A History of Japanese Photography (Vol. 1)' Bibliography/Content Introduction Page. (Chuokoron-Shinsha)
Chuokoron-Shinsha 'A History of Japanese Photography (Vol. 2)' Bibliography/Content Introduction Page. (Chuokoron-Shinsha)
Chikuma Shobo 'A Complete History of Photography as Liberal Arts' Author Profile (Manabu Torihara). (Chikuma Shobo)
- (Supplementary) Bird’s Inc. Manabu Torihara Profile. (Birds Inc.)
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