Children the Year Around - Video Contemporary 3

Children the Year Around is a photobook by Shōji Ueda, a leading Japanese photographer. Published in 1971, it is the third volume in the Chūō Kōron-sha series "Eizo no Gendai" (Modern Images) and represents one of Ueda's early signature works. The book is structured into chapters representing the four seasons, capturing the natural environment of San'in and the children living within it.

At the time, realism photography, which emphasized social relevance and documentary records, was dominant in the photography world. However, Ueda distanced himself from this trend, pursuing his unique photographic expression with a delicate sense of staged presentation. Not only did he meticulously arrange subjects and poses, but he also thoroughly refined the composition in the darkroom during the enlarging process, effortlessly crossing the boundary between realism and artistic creation.

The photographs in this book were taken in areas along the Sea of Japan coast, from Tottori to Yamaguchi. Against a backdrop of both the harshness and richness of nature, they depict the innocent and free-spirited children. While these are fragments of simple daily life, the images convey a meticulous sense of composition and humor, imbued with the quiet poetic sentiment characteristic of Ueda's work. This photobook is important for understanding the origins of Shōji Ueda, who, while based in a rural area, achieved world-class modernism.

The book design was by Iwao Hosoya, and the photo layout by Seiichi Horiuchi. The book's construction, bringing together talents representative of the era, is also a highlight, and it continues to be highly regarded as a masterpiece in the history of postwar Japanese photography.

[Title] Warabegoyomi=Shoji Ueda, Children the Year Around, Eizo no Gendai 3
[Publisher] Chuo Koron-sha
[Publication Date] April 20, 1971 (First Edition)
[Page Count] Unpaginated
[Size] Approx. 219*265*15mm / 858g
[Format] Hardcover
[Language] Japanese, English
[Title Reading] WARABEGŌYOMI
[Author/Editor, etc.] Iwao Hosoya/Book Design, Seiichi Horiuchi/Photo Layout
[Printing] Gravure Seiko-sha/Printing, (Eiji Kasahara/Gravure Platemaking), Ohkuma Seibido/Cover Printing, Koizumi Seihon/Binding
[ISBN] None
[Condition] Used 【4】Good to Fair (Cover: fading, top/bottom damage, tears; Book block: tanning, foxing on all three edges)
[Accessories] None
[Featured In] -
[Related Exhibitions] -

Shōji Ueda (1912-2000)

Born in Sakai-machi, Seihaku-gun, Tottori Prefecture (present-day Sakaiminato City) in 1913. He encountered photography in junior high school and moved to Tokyo in 1931 to enroll in the Oriental Photography School. After graduation, he returned to his hometown and opened a commercial photo studio at the age of 19. From the 1930s, he rose to prominence in photography magazines and open calls, gaining attention for his unique staged photographs featuring figures arranged on sandy beaches and the Tottori Sand Dunes.

After the war, with realism photography becoming mainstream, he temporarily distanced himself from staged photography. However, his re-evaluation grew with the publication of his photobook "Warabegoyomi" (Children the Year Around) in 1971. Thereafter, his unique style of compositionally capturing people and still lifes against the backdrop of the San'in region was highly acclaimed, especially in Europe, becoming widely known as "Ueda-cho" (Ueda style).

He was invited to the Arles International Photography Festival in 1978 and 1983. He received numerous awards, including the Commendation for Distinguished Service in Commemoration of the 10th Anniversary of the Agency for Cultural Affairs, Higashikawa Award Domestic Artist Prize, Photographic Society of Japan Distinguished Service Award, Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (French Republic), and the 1st Tottori Prefecture Citizens' Achievement Award. In 1995, the Shōji Ueda Museum of Photography opened in Hōki-chō, Tottori Prefecture. He passed away in 2000 at the age of 87.

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