MATSURI (signed)

“Matsuri” is a photobook by Japanese photographer Tatsuya Shimohira. In 2005, after witnessing a lion dance at a shrine in Hachinohe, his new home, Shimohira began documenting festivals across Japan. What captivated him was not an ethnological interest, but rather the extraordinary fervor that emerges only on the "hare no hi" (festive days) of a matsuri, and the "unknown sensation" disconnected from everyday life.

The book portrays people donning masks and costumes, transforming into different beings within the celebratory atmosphere. Rather than exaggerating the mystical nature of the rituals, Shimohira vividly captures the prevailing atmosphere and physical sensations, bringing to light the fundamental energy hidden within the festivals.

Published by ZEN FOTO GALLERY in 2010.

[Title] 祭り　MATSURI
[Publisher] Zen Foto Gallery
[Publication Date] 2010
[Page Count] 36 pages
[Size] Approx. 182*258*4mm / 150g
[Format] Softcover
[Language] Japanese, English, Chinese
[Title Reading] Matsuri
[Author/Editor] Tatsuya Shimohira / Author, Amanda Lo / Design
[Printing] Gateway Visual Creative Co. (Taiwan)
[ISBN] None
[Condition] Used, signed [8] Very good to good-plus
[Accessories] None
[Featured In] -
[Related Exhibition] October 2010, Zen Foto Gallery (Roppongi)

Tatsuya Shimohira (1980-)

Born in Kanagawa Prefecture in 1980. Photographer.
Graduated from Tokyo Visual Arts in 2003. Participated in Gallery Niepce from 2003 to 2004. In 2008, he co-founded TOTEM POLE PHOTO GALLERY with Shinya Arimoto and served as an operating member until 2011.

Since the mid-2000s, he has created works exploring the climate and festivals of various regions in Japan, and the memories embedded in the land. His series "Matsuri / MATSURI," which he began shooting after witnessing a lion dance in Hachinohe, sharply captures the physicality and communal fervor that emerge in celebratory spaces.

His major photobooks include "Family" (2009), "Matsuri / MATSURI" (2010), "ELEMENT" (2012), "Fudo vol.1" (2013), and "Seiso Renkan" (2015). He has held numerous solo and group exhibitions both in Japan and internationally, including at ZEN FOTO GALLERY and TOTEM POLE PHOTO GALLERY. In 2011, he also participated in "Niigata 発・日本の発見 映像と記憶のアルケオロジー 1865-2011" (Japan House, Cité internationale universitaire de Paris).

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