Roshin Books, 2024. Edition of 1,000 copies. Hardcover, 80 pp., 62 b/w illustrations + booklet, 12 pp., 6 b/w illustrations. 225 x 270 mm. Photographs by Ichiro Kojima. Text by Shigemi Takahashi (English, Japanese). Design by Katsuya Kato.
Solitude Standing celebrates the 100th anniversary of the birth of Ichiro Kojima. Born in Aomori in 1924, Ichiro Kojima depicted the lives of people living in the harsh environment of Japan’s Tohoku region through his exceptional composition skills and darkroom techniques, such as dodging and burning. Under the vast sky, he faced the landscapes spread before him with his camera in hand.
His career as a photographer lasted only about ten years. Kojima, who passed away suddenly at the age of 39, left behind a dramatic world that still resonates with us today. With this publication, Roshin Books focused on the aspect of "solitude" found in Kojima's works and re-examined the unpublished pieces preserved in the Aomori Museum of Art, compiling them anew into Solitude Standing.
Additionally, Roshin Books have produced a separate volume titled Sunset of Tokyo. It captures the weariness of Kojima's heart during his time in Tokyo, as if reflecting his own exhaustion. The poignant and frustrating emotions directed towards the urban sunsets appeal directly to the viewer's heart. Despite his attempts to distance himself from the images of Tsugaru, Kojima could never escape the persistent imagery of the Tohoku region that followed him everywhere.
Behind the Tokyo sunsets that Kojima captured with his camera, one might glimpse the serene snowscape of Tsugaru, where snow continued to fall silently. This book offers a new perspective on Kojima’s journey, appealing both to those already familiar with his work and those discovering it for the first time.
