An accessible and visually rich study of Japanese photography since 1945, by an experienced curator specializing in Japanese art and culture. From the sobriety of post-war Realism to the variety and technical ingenuity of the present, through movements and groups like Vivo in the 1960s and 'girl' photography in the 1990s, this visually bold and rich volume traces the evolution of Japanese photography. Interspersed are new interviews with some of the most influential figures in photographic history, from Moriyama Daido to Araki Nobuyoshi and Kawauchi Rinko. Lena Fritsch writes with imagination and clarity, analyzing a cross-section of photographic movements and works in the vibrant and shifting context of Japanese social, cultural, and political history. The result is both an accessible introduction and an illuminating work of analysis for general readers and aficionados.