Dawn Chorus Kazuho Maruo

This is the first photo book by Kazuho Maruo, a photographer from Okayama Prefecture, known for her wide-ranging work capturing landscapes, architecture, people, and still life for magazines and advertisements.

The book centers around scenes from a room in a Tokyo apartment complex—one of the places where the photographer resides—and includes views from the balcony as well as moments captured in the surrounding residential area. These photographs depict everyday occurrences that the artist felt were somehow special. A cat, who lives with the photographer, also occasionally appears throughout the pages.

At the end of the book, there is a contribution titled “Gathering Fragments of Connection” by Madoka Hattori, an editor and researcher of human-cat relationships, along with an afterword by the photographer titled “In the Chorus of Dawn.”

Living in Tokyo, a city marked by constant change and clamor, the artist reflects on the gradual dulling of her own sensitivity. Yet, through losing herself in moments with her cat, plants, and sunlight pouring through the windows, she comes to notice the small joys hidden in what seems like a monotonous daily routine—quiet moments of happiness that this book gently gathers and presents.

The book’s design is by Yuri Suyama.