The Origins of Masahisa Fukase’s Play, Revived After More Than Half a Century
Masahisa Fukase’s first photography book, Play (Chuokoron-Shinsha, Eizo no Gendai 4), was published in 1971. Compiled in an omnibus format by Shoji Yamagishi, editor of Camera Mainichi, the book brings together photographs Fukase took over more than a decade. It represents the origins of Fukase’s work and is filled with images that would anticipate and shape his later practice.
Play is divided into six chapters, revealing a striking correspondence between photography and life.
“Slaughter”, in which Yoko Wanibe accompanies Fukase to a slaughterhouse, where he photographs himself posing in a black cape beside cattle being slaughtered; “Longevity”, an autobiographical portrait of his wedding and newlywed life; “Play”, photographed during the period when Fukase lived alongside members of the underground scene in Shinjuku after running away from home; “Mei”, one of his earliest bodies of work, which also includes a photograph of his former lover, Yukiyo Kawakami, while she was pregnant; “Mother”, featuring photographs of Yoko and her mother; and “Fu”, which also includes photographs of Yoko and her mother.
This remarkable first photobook by Fukase focuses on himself and his family, candidly capturing the contrast and connection between life and death, while expressing, through his photographic language, the playful nature of existence.
For this new edition of Play, all the photographs and texts included in the original edition have been reproduced. The book also seeks to reconstruct the original through its design, offering a timeless response to Fukase’s work. Particular attention is given to the relationship between the photographs and the surrounding space, as well as to the title’s distinctive multiple-exposure design.
Play, a photobook that sheds multiple perspectives on the activities of Homo Ludens, once again emerges as an important volume for understanding Fukase’s work and, ultimately, ourselves.