Shinzo was a prolific publisher and of the 46 books he published or contributed to, probably six or seven are easily availlable second hand. I own three of his books and have another couple on order and the following is a brief review to compare and contrast these books and give my opinion on the relative interest therein. There is a list of the books that I have been able to compile from the internet at the bottom of this article.

I must be honest and say that my second taste of Shinzo’s work after seeing the few picture from the AmPhoto “Landscape” book was somewhat dissapointing. “Intimate Seasons”, posthumously compiled by his son Akira has pictures that are 50% Shinzo’s and 50% his sons and although his son is a good photographer, for me his pictures don’t hold the same depth as his fathers. And annoyingly, you have to keep referring to the back of the book to work out which photos are taken by son or father. The reproduction quality is absolutely fine and the images are strong, but I think I was expecting something a little more. However, returning to the book now with no expectations has made me realise that it is better than my first opinions.

It was when I received my copy of “Kamikochi, The Nippon Alps” that my initial opinions about Shinzo’s work were confirmed. My copy of the book is slightly tatty (I tend to buy the cheapest copy of a book when purchasing blind through second hand retailers and then, if the books is one I see I will value, I go looking for a good copy) but the pictures are all unmarked and it is an absolute pleasure to browse. Shinzo’s work in this book confirms my initial reaction to his work that I had from the Landscape book. His work is subtle and only occasionally betrays the photographic process (he only uses standard lenses and longer for the vast majority of his work) and his compositions show a subtlety of line and balance that strides a subtle line between chaos and order. He once said he waits for “the marvelous moment when I encounter nature without any fixed idea or preconception” which is a wonderful concept.

The last book I own is “Baume und Graser”, or “Tree and Grass” in English (I have a german copy that seems quite widely available in the west). The work is as good as “Kamikochi” and they make quite a complementary pair. This book has a handy list of cameres and lenses used in the back which shows that there is a good mix of MF, 4×5 and 8×10 shots. Here is a list of the cameras and lenses used.

1974
The Four Seasons of a Home Town

1976
The Colors of Japan
Mountains and Rivers of a Home Town

1977
The Moment of Encounter

1978
Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter

1981
Hokkaido – Poetry of the Earth

1982
Scenes from Nature

1983
A Tree, A Blade of Grass
Shinzo Maeda

1984
The Nippon Alps, Kamikochi

1985
Scenes in Four Seasons
Ambling in Nature
Okumikawa

1986
Hills of Color – Scenes and Seasons
Oka no shiki

1987
Sansen no kusaki
White Fantasy

1988
Summer Splendor

1989
Autum Colors

1990
Haru no daichi.
Spring Earth

1991
The Summer of Hillop Tower

1993
The Story of Takushinkan

1994
Yoshino Syunjyu

1995
Murou Syunjyu

The following are a series of photographs of extracts from the books – these are available if you have a free subscription