Miyako Ishiuchi was born in 1947 to a country whose culture had been infiltrated by the influence of the US servicemen living on the naval bases in major ports and cities during the military occupation post World War II. The presence of the western soldiers had a profound effect on Ishiuchi’s early childhood, and inspired her to produce her first body of work- ‘Yokosuka Story’. Miyako Ishiuchi was one of a renowned group of Japanese photographers, including Shomei Tomatsu and Daido Moriyama who confronted the trauma of post – war Japan and the dawning of a new era by using their cameras as tools to express, record and explore what it meant to be Japanese at this pivotal moment in history. Her work is much admired by both her mentors.

Miyako Ishiuchi Photographs 1976 – 2005

Published in 2008 to accompany the first retrospective exhibition of Miyako Ishiuchi in Europe. This exhibition was organised and produced by Langhans Gallery in Prague, a non profit organisation for the promotion of photography. The exhibition was curated by Machiel Botman.


The book was designed as a leporello ‘folding out’ book of 70 pages. On one side of the leporello there are photographs from Ishiuchi’s early book trilogy from the late seventies: Apartment, Yokosuka Story and Endless Night. On the other side of the book there are images from her later and more recent works: 1.9.4.7, 1906 to the Skin and Mother’s. The book was printed in Berlin using the Nova tone process.

This beautifully printed catalog shows the work of Miyako Ishiuchi from her beginning in 1976 to 2005. Six projects (books) are included, the covers of each book introduce, along with a short text, the chapters.

First edition 1000 copies in a slipcase, including a special edition of 100 signed and numbered copies.

Photographer Machiel Botman is a part time curator and is recently also responsible for the widely aclaimed book Soul and Soul 1969 – 1999 by Kiyoshi Suzuki (Noorderlicht 2008)

Manfred Heiting initiates and helps to realize special projects, for instance the reprint of A Dialogue with Solitude by Dave Heath (Lumiere Press 2000)

Michael Hoppen Gallery has secured a limited number of copies of this book,(£36.00) but it is selling out quickly. If you would like copy please contact us.