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Kenna’s traditional black-and-white silver prints, the photographs in this book include both well-known and previously unpublished images from all corners of Japan: Hokkaido, Honshu, Kyushu, Okinawa, and Shikoku.