Daido Moriyama: Quartet

Edited by Mark Holborn, with contributions by Tadanori Yokoo Explore the groundbreaking early work of Daido Moriyama, one of Japan’s most radical photographers, with this collectible, slipcased photobook. Daido Moriyama (b. 1938) is one of Japan’s most renowned and prolific photographers. His diverse projects often focus on urban landscapes, exploring light and shadow, and form and abstraction. Using a handheld camera and high-contrast black-and-white film, Moriyama captures Tokyo’s chaotic streets and clandestine underbelly, revealing the darkness and strangeness beneath the surface.  Daido Moriyama: Quartet is a vital anthology of the four seminal photobooks that form the foundation of Moriyama’s career as a photographer: Japan: A Photo Theater, A Hunter, Farewell Photography, and Light and Shadow. Spanning the fifteen years during which he honed his techniques and unveiled his distinctive vision, these photobooks were originally released as limited editions in Japan and represent some of the most daring ventures in photographic publishing history. Edited by Mark Holborn, this compilation includes excerpts from Moriyama’s diaries, journals, and memoranda, offering intimate glimpses into the core of his creative process. Presented in a slipcase, this volume is essential for all Moriyama fans and anyone passionate about photography and visual culture. Mark Holborn is an editor and designer of illustrated books about a diverse range of artists, from William Eggleston to Lucian Freud. He is also a curator, author, and specialist on Japanese culture.  “It revives a moment when photography confronted the limits of seeing and language, and it does so with the volume and intensity of a live performance. In today’s world of banal, thoughtless AI-generated imagery, this volume transports one to a moment in which photography, and images, matter. Quartet is Moriyama at full amplification—dissonant, incandescent, relentless.” —Jeff O’Brien, ARLIS/NA “For photographers, this book is indispensable. It’s not just about technique—it’s a lesson in vision, persistence, and the audacity to pursue a personal language in photography. For anyone who appreciates photography as more than documentation, Quartet is an opportunity to immerse yourself in a mind that has reshaped the medium.” —Sandrine Hermand-Grisel, All About Photo “A striking and even lavish publication.” —Bondo Wyszpolski, Easy Reader News “This release is brilliantly designed, housed in a slipcase and beautifully presented; a book to live with, not just shelve.” —Kalum Carter, Yahoo “The experience of turning a book’s page accords with the experience of how we encounter and excavate our memories, as well as the sensation of how we might move through the haphazard geography of Tokyo’s backstreets.” —Alessandro Merola, Dazed 440 pages 8 5/8 x 11 5/8 inches 250 b/w illustrations ISBN 979-8-88712-009-6 hardcover with slipcase Getty Publications Imprint: Getty Publications 2025