Published on the occasion of an exhibition held at the J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Center, Los Angeles, Mar. 26-Aug. 25, 2013.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Innovation in the 1930s: the early works of Hiroshi Hamaya and Kansuke Yamamoto / Kōtarō Iizawa -- Hiroshi Hamaya's snow country: a return to "Japan" / Jonathan M. Reynolds -- The locus of sadness: protesting the new Japan / Judith Keller -- Plates 1-50 Hiroshi Hamaya -- Plates 51-102 Kansuke Yamamoto -- The position of Kansuke Yamamoto: reexamining Japan's modern photography / Ryūichi Kaneko -- Five poems by Kansuke Yamamoto / translated by John Solt -- Disobedient spirit: Kansuke Yamamoto and his engagement with surrealism / Amanda Maddox -- Selected chronology of Hiroshi Hamaya -- Selected chronology of Kansuke Yamamoto.

This title offers an illustrated overview of the evolution of two very different strains of modern Japanese photography. In the 1930s, Japanese photography evolved in two very directions: one toward a documentary style, the other favouring an experimental, or avant-garde, approach strongly influence by Western Surrealism. This book explores these two divergent paths through the work of two remarkable figures: Hiroshi Hamaya and Kansuke Yamamoto. Hiroshi Hamaya (1915-1999) was born and raised in Tokyo and, after an initial period of creative experimentation, turned his attention to recording traditional life and culture. He went on to record cultural changes in China, political protests in Japan, and landscapes around the world. Kansuke Yamamoto (1914-1987) became fascinated by the innovative approaches in art and literature exemplified by Western artists such as Man Ray and Magritte. 0Exhibition: Getty Museum, Los Angeles, USA (26.3.-25.8.2013). 0.