Each bookstore will act as a concierge, recommending "the book you should read now" to FASHION HEADLINE readers. Every Saturday, we will introduce books selected by Shelf (3-7-4 Jingumae, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo), a bookstore in Harajuku's Gaienmae area that specializes in foreign books.




■ "Trails" by Homma Takashi

Japanese photographer Homma Takashi's collection of works, "Trails," beautifully depicts the blood trails of deer hunted in Shiretoko National Park, Hokkaido, in a shadowy yet beautiful way.

Are they ritualistic traces, or calligraphic letters? Photographed between the winters of 2009 and 2018, deer bloodstains are depicted in abstract and symbolic forms in this book.

Although considered sacred, the excessive population of deer has often sparked controversy, particularly in relation to the damage they cause to crops, leading local authorities to call on local hunters to take the issue into their own hands. The artist documents the result of reducing deer numbers: the red claw marks of wild deer staining the snow.