Yasuhiro Ishimoto
Encyclopedia
Ishimoto was born on 14 June 1921 in San Francisco
, California
, where his parents were farmers. In 1924, the family left the United States
and returned to his parents' hometown within present-day Tosa
, in Kōchi Prefecture
, Japan
. After Ishimoto graduated from Kōchi Agricultural High School, he returned to the United States in 1939, studying architecture at Northwestern University
in Chicago
for two years. Though he did not complete this program, architecture would hold an important place in his photography.
From 1942 to 1944, he was interned with other Japanese Americans at the Amache Internment Camp
(also known as Granada Relocation Center) in Colorado
. It was here that he began to learn photography
.
Returning to Chicago, in 1946 Ishimoto joined the Photo Dearborn club for amateur filmmakers and photographers there. He enrolled in the Photography Department of the Chicago Institute of Design in 1948 (later the Institute of Design of the Illinois Institute of Technology
) and studied with Harry M. Callahan and Aaron Siskind
, graduating in 1952. During this time, he won numerous photography awards, including the Moholy-Nagy Prize, which he won twice.
He returned to Japan to live in 1953 and that same year, on a commission from New York's Museum of Modern Art
, he photographed Katsura Imperial Villa
(Katsura rikyū) in Kyoto
, working in black-and-white
. Work from this assignment eventually was published as the book, Katsura: Tradition and Creation in Japanese Architecture (sometimes shortened to Katsura) in 1960. The book has texts by Walter Gropius
and Tange Kenzō
.
Ishimoto's work was chosen by Edward Steichen
to appear in the Family of Man
exhibition and catalogue at the Museum of Modern Art in 1955, and Steichen also selected his work for a three-person exhibition in 1961.
From 1958 to 1961, Ishimoto lived and worked in Chicago on a Minolta
fellowship. His photographs from this time, mostly street scenes, were eventually published in 1969 as Chicago, Chicago. After having returned to Japan in 1961, Ishimoto became a naturalized Japanese citizen in 1969. During the 1960s, he taught photography at Kuwasawa Design School, the Tokyo College of Photography
and, between 1966 and 1971, at Tokyo Zokei University
.
Ishimoto has photographed and travelled widely, visiting Southwest Asia
in 1966, and South America
, North Africa
and Australia
for three months in 1975. The following year he made trips to Iran
, Iraq
and Turkey
and in 1977 he again visited Turkey, also travelling to Spain
and India
. He visited China
in 1978.
With photographs taken at the temple Tō-ji
(also known as Kyōō Gokokuji) in Kyoto, Ishimoto produced an exhibition in 1977 called Den Shingonin Ryōkai Mandala (The Mandalas of the Two Worlds). His photography was later used in a very lavish publication of the same title.
Between 1973 and 1993 Ishimoto produced a number of in-camera color abstractions that appeared as covers for the Japanese magazine Approach. In 1980, at the Museum of Modern Art, he photographed Monet
's Water Lilies in detail and full size.
Ishimoto returned to Katsura in 1982 and took another series of photographs, this time with many in color, often using the same or very similar views to those of his 1953 photographs at the same location. Work from this project was published in Katsura Villa: Space and Form.
His more recent photography has dealt with the transitory nature of life as shown in his photographs of clouds, footprints in melting snow and fallen leaves. This theme is also evident in his photographs of Ise Shrine
(also known as Ise Jingū), which he was permitted to photograph in 1993. This ancient Shinto
shrine is torn down and rebuilt every twenty years.
Ishimoto has participated in many exhibitions, including New Japanese Photography at the Museum of Modern Art in 1974, solo shows in 1960 and 1999 at the Art Institute of Chicago
, a retrospective in 1989–1990 at Seibu Museum of Art in Tokyo, and an exhibition at the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, in 1996.
Ishimoto's many awards include winning the Young Photographer's Contest, Life
magazine (1950); the photographer of the year award, Japan Photo Critics Association (1957); the Mainichi Art Award (1970); the annual award (1978, 1990) and distinguished contribution award (1991) of the Photographic Society of Japan
; and governmental medals of honour (1983, 1993). In 1996 the Japanese government named Ishimoto a Man of Cultural Distinction, an honour that includes a lifelong stipend. In 2004 Ishimoto donated his archive of seven thousand images, valued at 1.4 billion yen, to the Museum of Art, Kochi.
In English, Yasuhiro Ishimoto signs his name "Yas Ishimoto".
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, where his parents were farmers. In 1924, the family left the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and returned to his parents' hometown within present-day Tosa
Tosa, Kochi
is a city in Kōchi, Japan. It is located on the southern coast of the island of Shikoku.As of October 31, 2007, the city has an estimated population of 29,782 and the density of 325 persons per km²...
, in Kōchi Prefecture
Kochi Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the south coast of Shikoku. The capital is the city of Kōchi.- History :Prior to the Meiji Restoration, Kōchi was known as Tosa Province and was controlled by the Chosokabe clan in the Sengoku period and the Yamauchi family during the Edo period.- Geography...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. After Ishimoto graduated from Kōchi Agricultural High School, he returned to the United States in 1939, studying architecture at Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
for two years. Though he did not complete this program, architecture would hold an important place in his photography.
From 1942 to 1944, he was interned with other Japanese Americans at the Amache Internment Camp
Granada War Relocation Center
The Granada War Relocation Center was a Japanese American internment camp located in southeast Colorado about a mile west of the small farming community of Granada, south of US 50....
(also known as Granada Relocation Center) in Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
. It was here that he began to learn photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
.
Returning to Chicago, in 1946 Ishimoto joined the Photo Dearborn club for amateur filmmakers and photographers there. He enrolled in the Photography Department of the Chicago Institute of Design in 1948 (later the Institute of Design of the Illinois Institute of Technology
Illinois Institute of Technology
Illinois Institute of Technology, commonly called Illinois Tech or IIT, is a private Ph.D.-granting university located in Chicago, Illinois, with programs in engineering, science, psychology, architecture, business, communications, industrial technology, information technology, design, and law...
) and studied with Harry M. Callahan and Aaron Siskind
Aaron Siskind
Aaron Siskind was an American abstract expressionist photographer. In his biography he wrote that he began his foray into photography when he received a camera for a wedding gift and began taking pictures on his honeymoon. He quickly realized the artistic potential this offered...
, graduating in 1952. During this time, he won numerous photography awards, including the Moholy-Nagy Prize, which he won twice.
He returned to Japan to live in 1953 and that same year, on a commission from New York's Museum of Modern Art
Museum of Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
, he photographed Katsura Imperial Villa
Katsura Imperial Villa
The , or Katsura Detached Palace, is a villa with associated gardens and outbuildings in the western suburbs of Kyoto, Japan...
(Katsura rikyū) in Kyoto
Kyoto
is a city in the central part of the island of Honshū, Japan. It has a population close to 1.5 million. Formerly the imperial capital of Japan, it is now the capital of Kyoto Prefecture, as well as a major part of the Osaka-Kobe-Kyoto metropolitan area.-History:...
, working in black-and-white
Black-and-white
Black-and-white, often abbreviated B/W or B&W, is a term referring to a number of monochrome forms in visual arts.Black-and-white as a description is also something of a misnomer, for in addition to black and white, most of these media included varying shades of gray...
. Work from this assignment eventually was published as the book, Katsura: Tradition and Creation in Japanese Architecture (sometimes shortened to Katsura) in 1960. The book has texts by Walter Gropius
Walter Gropius
Walter Adolph Georg Gropius was a German architect and founder of the Bauhaus School who, along with Ludwig Mies van der Rohe and Le Corbusier, is widely regarded as one of the pioneering masters of modern architecture....
and Tange Kenzō
Kenzo Tange
was a Japanese architect, and winner of the 1987 Pritzker Prize for architecture. He was one of the most significant architects of the 20th century, combining traditional Japanese styles with modernism, and designed major buildings on five continents. Tange was also an influential protagonist of...
.
Ishimoto's work was chosen by Edward Steichen
Edward Steichen
Edward J. Steichen was an American photographer, painter, and art gallery and museum curator. He was the most frequently featured photographer in Alfred Stieglitz' groundbreaking magazine Camera Work during its run from 1903 to 1917. Steichen also contributed the logo design and a custom typeface...
to appear in the Family of Man
The Family of Man
The Family of Man was a photography exhibition curated by Edward Steichen first shown in 1955 at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.According to Steichen, the exhibition represented the 'culmination of his career'. The 508 photos by 273 photographers in 68 countries were selected from almost 2...
exhibition and catalogue at the Museum of Modern Art in 1955, and Steichen also selected his work for a three-person exhibition in 1961.
From 1958 to 1961, Ishimoto lived and worked in Chicago on a Minolta
Minolta
Minolta Co., Ltd. was a Japanese worldwide manufacturer of cameras, camera accessories, photocopiers, fax machines, and laser printers. Minolta was founded in Osaka, Japan, in 1928 as . It is perhaps best known for making the first integrated autofocus 35mm SLR camera system...
fellowship. His photographs from this time, mostly street scenes, were eventually published in 1969 as Chicago, Chicago. After having returned to Japan in 1961, Ishimoto became a naturalized Japanese citizen in 1969. During the 1960s, he taught photography at Kuwasawa Design School, the Tokyo College of Photography
Tokyo College of Photography
The was set up in Nakano, Tokyo in 1958, as Tokyo Photo School ; its current name dates from 1960. During the 1960s, it moved to Hiyoshi , where it has remained....
and, between 1966 and 1971, at Tokyo Zokei University
Tokyo Zokei University
is a private university in Hachioji, Tokyo, Japan, founded in 1966 by Japanese female art educator, fashion designer and design journalist, Yoko Kuwasawa . It is a four-year art college offering both bachelor's and master's degrees in studio arts....
.
Ishimoto has photographed and travelled widely, visiting Southwest Asia
Southwest Asia
Western Asia, West Asia, Southwest Asia or Southwestern Asia are terms that describe the westernmost portion of Asia. The terms are partly coterminous with the Middle East, which describes a geographical position in relation to Western Europe rather than its location within Asia...
in 1966, and South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
for three months in 1975. The following year he made trips to Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, Iraq
Iraq
Iraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
and Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
and in 1977 he again visited Turkey, also travelling to Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He visited China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
in 1978.
With photographs taken at the temple Tō-ji
To-ji
is a Buddhist temple of the Shingon sect in Kyoto, Japan. Its name means East Temple, and it once had a partner, Sai-ji . They stood alongside the Rashomon, the gate to the Heian capital. It is formally known as which indicates that it previously functioned as a temple providing protection for the...
(also known as Kyōō Gokokuji) in Kyoto, Ishimoto produced an exhibition in 1977 called Den Shingonin Ryōkai Mandala (The Mandalas of the Two Worlds). His photography was later used in a very lavish publication of the same title.
Between 1973 and 1993 Ishimoto produced a number of in-camera color abstractions that appeared as covers for the Japanese magazine Approach. In 1980, at the Museum of Modern Art, he photographed Monet
Claude Monet
Claude Monet was a founder of French impressionist painting, and the most consistent and prolific practitioner of the movement's philosophy of expressing one's perceptions before nature, especially as applied to plein-air landscape painting. . Retrieved 6 January 2007...
's Water Lilies in detail and full size.
Ishimoto returned to Katsura in 1982 and took another series of photographs, this time with many in color, often using the same or very similar views to those of his 1953 photographs at the same location. Work from this project was published in Katsura Villa: Space and Form.
His more recent photography has dealt with the transitory nature of life as shown in his photographs of clouds, footprints in melting snow and fallen leaves. This theme is also evident in his photographs of Ise Shrine
Ise Shrine
is a Shinto shrine dedicated to goddess Amaterasu-ōmikami, located in the city of Ise in Mie prefecture, Japan. Officially known simply as , Ise Jingū is in fact a shrine complex composed of a large number of Shinto shrines centered on two main shrines, and ....
(also known as Ise Jingū), which he was permitted to photograph in 1993. This ancient Shinto
Shinto
or Shintoism, also kami-no-michi, is the indigenous spirituality of Japan and the Japanese people. It is a set of practices, to be carried out diligently, to establish a connection between present day Japan and its ancient past. Shinto practices were first recorded and codified in the written...
shrine is torn down and rebuilt every twenty years.
Ishimoto has participated in many exhibitions, including New Japanese Photography at the Museum of Modern Art in 1974, solo shows in 1960 and 1999 at the Art Institute of Chicago
Art Institute of Chicago
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago is one of America's largest accredited independent schools of art and design, located in the Loop in Chicago, Illinois. It is associated with the museum of the same name, and "The Art Institute of Chicago" or "Chicago Art Institute" often refers to either...
, a retrospective in 1989–1990 at Seibu Museum of Art in Tokyo, and an exhibition at the National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, in 1996.
Ishimoto's many awards include winning the Young Photographer's Contest, Life
Life (magazine)
Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
magazine (1950); the photographer of the year award, Japan Photo Critics Association (1957); the Mainichi Art Award (1970); the annual award (1978, 1990) and distinguished contribution award (1991) of the Photographic Society of Japan
Photographic Society of Japan
Since its inception, the Photographic Society of Japan has annually presented a large number of awards.-1952–1956:-1957–1984:-1985–1993:-1994–2003:-2004–2008:-2009–2010:...
; and governmental medals of honour (1983, 1993). In 1996 the Japanese government named Ishimoto a Man of Cultural Distinction, an honour that includes a lifelong stipend. In 2004 Ishimoto donated his archive of seven thousand images, valued at 1.4 billion yen, to the Museum of Art, Kochi.
In English, Yasuhiro Ishimoto signs his name "Yas Ishimoto".
Solo exhibitions
- Art Institute of ChicagoArt Institute of ChicagoThe School of the Art Institute of Chicago is one of America's largest accredited independent schools of art and design, located in the Loop in Chicago, Illinois. It is associated with the museum of the same name, and "The Art Institute of Chicago" or "Chicago Art Institute" often refers to either...
. 1960. - Museum of Modern ArtMuseum of Modern ArtThe Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
, New York. 1961. - "Den Shingonin Ryōkai Mandala" / "Mandala of Two Worlds". Seibu Museum of Art, Tokyo. 1977.
- Seibu Museum of Art, Tokyo. 1989–1990
- "Yasuhiro Ishimoto: Remembrance of Things Present". National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo, 1996.
- "Ishimoto Yasuhiro-ten: Shikago, Tōkyō" / "Yasuhiro Ishimoto: Chicago and Tokyo". Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of PhotographyTokyo Metropolitan Museum of PhotographyThe is an art museum focused on photography. The museum was founded by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and is located in Meguro-ku, a short walk from Ebisu station in southwest Tokyo...
, Tokyo. 1998. - "Yasuhiro Ishimoto: A Tale of Two Cities". Art Institute of ChicagoArt Institute of ChicagoThe School of the Art Institute of Chicago is one of America's largest accredited independent schools of art and design, located in the Loop in Chicago, Illinois. It is associated with the museum of the same name, and "The Art Institute of Chicago" or "Chicago Art Institute" often refers to either...
. 1999. - "Yasuhiro Ishimoto: Mandalas of the Two Worlds at the Kyoo Gokokuji". National Museum of Art, Osaka. 1999.
- "Yasuhiro Ishimoto Photographs: Traces of Memory". Cleveland Museum of ArtCleveland Museum of ArtThe Cleveland Museum of Art is an art museum situated in the Wade Park District, in the University Circle neighborhood on Cleveland's east side. Internationally renowned for its substantial holdings of Asian and Egyptian art, the museum houses a diverse permanent collection of more than 43,000...
. 2000–2001. - "Ishimoto Yasuhiro Shashinten 1946–2001" ( 1946–2001) / "Yasuhiro Ishimoto". The Museum of Art, Kochi. April–May 2001.
Joint exhibitions
- The Family of ManThe Family of ManThe Family of Man was a photography exhibition curated by Edward Steichen first shown in 1955 at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.According to Steichen, the exhibition represented the 'culmination of his career'. The 508 photos by 273 photographers in 68 countries were selected from almost 2...
. Museum of Modern ArtMuseum of Modern ArtThe Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
, 1955 - New Japanese Photography. Museum of Modern ArtMuseum of Modern ArtThe Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...
, 1974
Books devoted to Ishimoto's work
- Aru hi aru tokoro / Someday somewhere. Geibi Shuppansha, 1958. Tuttle, 1959.
- Katsura: Nihon kenchiku ni okeru dentō to sōzō / KatsuraKatsura-Architecture:*The Katsura imperial villa, one of Japan's most important architectural treasures, and a World Heritage Site-Geography:*Katsuura, Chiba, city located in Chiba Prefecture, Japan*Katsura, Tokushima, a town in Tokushima Prefecture, Japan...
: Tradition and Creation in Japanese Architecture. Zōkeisha and Yale University Press, 1960. Second edition (without English text): Tokyo: Chūōkōronsha, 1971. English-language edition: New Haven: Yale University Press, 1972. ISBN 0-300-01599-2 - Shikago, Shikago / Chicago, Chicago. Tokyo: Bijutsu Shuppansha, 1969. Second edition Tokyo: Japan Publications, 1983. ISBN 0-87040-553-5
- Metropolis [Toshi] (1971)
- (With Haruo TomiyamaHaruo Tomiyamais a versatile Japanese photographer, active since the 1960s.-Life and work:Born in Kanda on 25 February 1935, Tomiyama dropped out of evening high school in 1956 to study photography for himself....
.) Ningen kakumei no kiroku / The Document of Human Revolution. Tokyo: Shashin Hyōronsha, 1973. - Nōmen . Tokyo: Heibonsha, 1974.
- Den Shingonin Ryōkai Mandara / The Mandalas of the Two Worlds. Tokyo: Heibonsha, 1977. Photographs on folded screens, lavishly produced and packed in two very large boxes. (An edition of 500, priced at 880,000 yenJapanese yenThe is the official currency of Japan. It is the third most traded currency in the foreign exchange market after the United States dollar and the euro. It is also widely used as a reserve currency after the U.S. dollar, the euro and the pound sterling...
.) - Eros und Cosmos in Mandala: The Mandalas of the Two Worlds at the Kyoo Gokoku-ji. Seibu Museum of Art.
- Den Shingon in mandara . Kyoto: Sanburaito Shuppan, 1978.
- Kunisaki kikō . Nihon no Bi. Tokyo: Shūeisha, 1978. A large-format collection of colour photographs of the Kunisaki peninsula in KyūshūKyushuis the third largest island of Japan and most southwesterly of its four main islands. Its alternate ancient names include , , and . The historical regional name is referred to Kyushu and its surrounding islands....
. - Karesansui no niwa . Tokyo: Kōdansha, 1980.
- Yamataikoku gensō . Nihon no Kokoro. Tokyo: Shūeisha, 1980.
- Isuramu: Kūkan to mon'yō / Islam: Space and Design. Kyoto: Shinshindō, 1980.
- Kōkoku no jūichimen kannon . Tokyo: Iwanami, 1982.
- Shikago, Shikago: Sono 2 / Chicago, Chicago. Tokyo: Libro Port, 1983. ISBN 8-457-00980-9.
- Shikago, Shikago: Sono 2 / Chicago, Chicago. Tokyo: Canon, 1983. More black and white photographs of Chicago. No captions; foreword and chronology of the photographer in Japanese.
- Katsura rikyū: Kūkan to katachi . Tokyo: Iwanami, 1983. English translation: Katsura Villa: Space and Form. New York: Rizzoli, 1987.
- Hana / Hana. Tokyo: Kyūryūdō, 1988. ISBN 4-7630-8804-1. English edition: Flowers, San Francisco: Chronicle, 1989. ISBN 0-87701-668-2.
- Kyō no tewaza: Takumi-tachi no emoyō . Tokyo: Gakugei Shorin, 1988. ISBN 4-905640-14-8.
- The Photography of Yasuhiro Ishimoto: 1948–1989. Tokyo: Seibu Museum of Art, 1989.
- Ishimoto Yasuhiro Shashinten 1946–2001 ( 1946–2001) / Yasuhiro Ishimoto. Kōchi, Kōchi: The Museum of Art, Kochi, 2001. Text in Japanese and English.
- Arata Isozaki Works 30: Architectural Models, Prints, Drawings. Gingko, 1992. ISBN 4-89737-139-2.
- Ise Jingū . Tokyo: Iwanami, 1995. ISBN 4-00-008061-X.
- Genzai no kioku / Remembrance of Things Present. Tokyo: National Museum of Modern Art, 1996. Catalogue of an exhibition held at the National Film Center in 1996. Captions and text in both Japanese and English.
- Ishimoto Yasuhiro . Nihon no Shashinka. Tokyo: Iwanami, 1997. ISBN 4-00-008366-X. A compact survey of Ishimoto's monochrome work; text in Japanese only.
- Yasuhiro Ishimoto: A Tale of Two Cities. Ed. Colin WesterbeckColin WesterbeckColin Westerbeck is a curator, writer, and teacher of the history of photography.Before moving to Los Angeles, where he has taught at UCLA and USC, he was curator of photography at the Art Institute of Chicago...
. Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, 1999. ISBN 0-86559-170-9. Catalogue of an exhibition at the Art Institute of Chicago, May–September 1999. - Toki / Moment. Tokyo: Heibonsha, 2004. ISBN 4-00-008366-X. A survey of Ishimoto's monochrome work; text in Japanese and English.
- Shibuya, Shibuya . Tokyo: Heibonsha, 2007. ISBN 978-4-582-27764-7. Monochrome images, mostly of the backs of individual people waiting for the lights to change at the main crossroadsPedestrian scrambleA pedestrian scramble, also known as a 'X' Crossing , diagonal crossing , scramble intersection , and more poetically Barnes Dance, is a pedestrian crossing system that stops all vehicular traffic and allows pedestrians to cross an intersection in every direction, including diagonally, at the same...
in front of Shibuya StationShibuya Stationis a train station located in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. With 2.4 million passengers on an average weekday in 2004, it is the fourth-busiest commuter rail station in Japan handling a large amount of commuter traffic between the center city and suburbs to the south and west.-JR East:*Saikyō Line /...
. No captions; the minimal text is in Japanese and English. - Meguriau iro to katachi / Composition. Tokyo: Heibonsha, 2008. ISBN 978-4-582-27769-2. Compositions of colors. The minimal text is in Japanese only.
- Tajū rokō / Multi Exposure. Exhibition catalogue.
- Katsura rikyū . 2010. ISBN 4-89737-655-6.
- Nakamori, Yasufumi. Katsura: Picturing Modernism in Japanese Architecture. Museum of Fine Arts Houston, 2010. ISBN 0-300-16333-9.
- Moriyama Akiko . Ishimoto Yasuhiro: Shashin to iu shikō / Yasuhiro Ishimoto: Beyond the Eye that Shapes. 武蔵野美術大学出版局, 2010. ISBN 4901631950。
Other works
- Szarkowski, John, and Shoji Yamagishi. New Japanese Photography. New York: Museum of Modern Art, 1974. ISBN 0-87070-503-2 (hard), ISBN 0-87070-503-2 (paper) Four photographs (1953–1954) from Katsura (1960). Nihon nūdo meisakushū . Camera Mainichi bessatsu. Tokyo: Mainichi Shinbunsha, 1982. Pp. 166–69 show nudes by Ishimoto.
- Nihon shashin no tenkan: 1960 nendai no hyōgen / Innovation in Japanese Photography in the 1960s. Tokyo: Tokyo Metropolitan Museum of Photography, 1991. Exhibition catalogue, text in Japanese and English. Pp. 68–77 show examples from "Chicago, Chicago".
- Densha ni miru toshi fūkei 1981–2006 ( / Scenes of Tokyo City: Prospects from the Train 1981–2006. Tama City, Tokyo: Tama City Cultural Foundation Parthenon Tama, 2006. Exhibition catalogue; pp. 4–13 are devoted to Ishimoto. Captions and text in Japanese and English.