FUKASE, Masahisa (Hokkaido, 1934 - 2012)Homo Ludens

Masahisa Fukase's first photobook, ‘Game' (Chuokoron-sha, Modern Images 4), was published in 1971. Compiled by Camera Mainichi editor Shoji Yamagishi into an omnibus format from photographs Fukase had taken over a dozen years, this volume is both Fukase's origin and brimming with images that would guide his subsequent work.

“Game” is structured in six chapters, representing a vivid correspondence between photography and life.

“Slaughter” depicts Yoko Wani accompanying livestock to the slaughterhouse, capturing both the dismembered animals and Yoko posing in a black cloak. ‘Celebration' portrays Yoko, whom he later married, through wedding and newlywed scenes in a semi-autobiographical style. “Play” features images from Fukase's days living communally in Shinjuku's underground scene after running away from home. “Darkness,” the earliest work, which also includes images of his former lover, Sachiyo Kawakami, during her pregnancy; “Mother,” featuring Yoko and her mother; and finally, “Score.”

This is Fukase's masterful first photobook, in which he pointed his lens at himself and his family, starkly capturing the contrast and connection between life and death, expressing through photographic expression the playful nature of existence.