Moriyama Daidō, shashin o kataru

Published by Seikyūsha in 2009, 'Shashin o kataru' serves as a critical collection of essays and interviews in which Daidō Moriyama reflects on his lifelong engagement with the medium of photography. The text documents the internal philosophy of an artist known for his gritty, high-contrast 'are-bure-boke' (grainy, blurry, out-of-focus) aesthetic, which first gained prominence in the late 1960s with the radical Provoke movement. Through these reflections, Moriyama articulates his desire to capture the raw, unvarnished energy of urban life, particularly within the shifting landscape of post-war Japan.

The volume provides vital context for how Moriyama conceptualizes the act of snapping pictures as a visceral, almost instinctual response to the streets. The design and editorial approach of the book prioritize his candid voice, aiming to translate his visual intensity into a literary format that invites readers to understand the ephemeral nature of the moments he chooses to preserve. It has been received by scholars and photography enthusiasts as an essential primary source for understanding the development of Japanese contemporary photography and the intellectual underpinnings of Moriyama's iconic body of work.