Our Thursday series features must-read books from each branch of art bookshop NADiff. This week, we feature photographer Daido Moriyama's "Ango." The book is introduced by NADiff Apartment, the flagship store in Ebisu, Tokyo (1F NADiff a/p/a/r/t, 1-18-4 Ebisu, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo).




■ "Ango" by Daido Moriyama

The title of the book comes from a monochrome photograph of cherry blossoms taken by Daido Moriyama. On the following double-page spread, printed on black paper is the opening sentence of Ango Sakaguchi's short story "Under the Cherry Blossoms in Full Bloom." "When the cherry blossoms bloom, people drink sake, eat dumplings, walk under the blossoms, and become cheerful and euphoric, exclaiming that it's a beautiful sight and a spring festival. But this is a lie." Once you're drawn into the eerie world woven by these photographs and words in just a few pages, you'll find yourself unable to stop turning the pages, even as you, like the protagonist in the novel, become consumed by the magic of the cherry blossoms. This "book," in which the long-awaited spring cherry blossoms appear as something entirely different, was created by graphic designer and publisher Satoru Machiguchi, who has designed numerous photobook bindings and launched his own label, handling everything from publication to distribution. This is the fourth installment in a series that combines Daido Moriyama's photography with modern postwar literature. Previously, novels by Osamu Dazai, Shuji Terayama, and Sakunosuke Oda have taken on new forms alongside Daido Moriyama's photographs. The book features Sakaguchi Ango's short story "Under the Cherry Blossoms in Full Bloom," originally published in 1947, while Moriyama Daido's cherry blossom photographs are new works.




NADiff a/p/a/r/t will also be holding a Moriyama Daido photography exhibition from January 16th. This exhibition is related to the photo book "K," published by Getsuyosha in 2017. There will also be a talk event with Daido Moriyama during the event.