Michael Kenna - Forms of Japan

A rocky coastline along the Sea of Japan; an immense plain of rice fields in the snow; Mount Fuji towering over wooded hills; silent temples devoid of people but filled with Buddhist deities; a Torii gateway mysteriously emerging from moving clouds and water-these are a few images in this remarkable collection of photographs by Michael Kenna, whose black-and-white work is highly renowned.

Shapes of Japan, brilliantly designed by Yvonne Meyer-Lohr, is organized into chapters simply titled, “Sea,” “Land,” “Trees,” “Spirit,” and “Sky.” The quietly evocative photographs, often paired with classic haiku poems by Basho, Buson, Issa, and others, provide a contemplative portrait of a country best known for its energy and industry. Beautifully reproduced to convey the enormous subtleties that exist in Michael Kenna’s traditional black-and-white silver prints, the photographs in this book include both well-known and previously unpublished images from all corners of Japan: Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu, Okinawa, and Shikoku.

Works in Gallery

Michael Kenna

Single Tree, Mita, Hokkaido, Japan. 2007

Gelatin silver print,  ed 42/45

Michael Kenna, Nine Silver Birches, Shibetsu, Hokkaido, Japan. 2009, Galleria13

Michael Kenna

Nine Silver Birches, Shibetsu, Hokkaido, Japan. 2009

Gelatin silver print, ed 14/45

Michael Kenna

Lone Tree, Bibaushi Hokkaido, Japan 2004

Gelatin silver print, ed 29/45

Micahel Kenna, Afternoon Light, Shibecha, Hokkaido, Japan. 2004

Michael Kenna

Afternoon Light, Shibecha, Hokkaido, Japan. 2004

Gelatin silver print, ed 17/45

Michael Kenna

Line of Trees, Biei, Hokkaido, Japan. 2012

Gelatin silver print, ed 25

Michael Kenna

Thirty One Snow Fences, Bihoro, Hokkaido, Japan, 2016

Gelatin silver print, ed 22/25

Michael Kenna

Five Trees, Toya Lake, Hokkaido, Japan. 2004

Gelatin silver print, ed 31/45

Michael Kenna

Hilltop Trees, Study 4, Teshikaga, Hokkaido, Japan. 2016

Gelatin silver print, ed 11/25

Michael Kenna

 Hillside Fence, Study 7, Teshikaga, Hokkaido, Japan. 2004

Gelatin silver print, ed 12/25

Michael Kenna

Kussharo Lake Tree, Study 10, Kotan, Hokkaido, Japan. 2005

Gelatin silver print, ed 11/45

Michael Kenna

Rock Formations, Study 1, Yoichi, Hokkaido, Japan

Gelatin silver print, ed 15/45

Michael Kenna

Rock Formations, Study 2, Yoichi, Hokkaido, Japan. 2004

Gelatin silver print, ed 15/45

Works available in MK Archive

If you are interested in a photograph that is not already in the Gallery, you can request its availability and price and eventually order it.

_________ Publication _________

Michael Kenna, Forms of Japan

Forms of Japan

Prestel, September 01, 2015

Hardcover, 304 pages, 29,0 x 28,0 cm, 240 b/w illustrations

This beautiful book presents a meditative, captivating, and dazzling collection of 240 black-and-white images of Japan taken over nearly 30 years.

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