Domains Ikko Narahara

"Garden of Silence" and "Within the Wall"—A profound exploration of human existence inside two closed worlds.

First exhibited in 1958, Domains (Oko) stands as one of the most powerful landmarks in modern Japanese photography. The series juxtaposes two starkly isolated environments: "Garden of Silence," set in a Trappist monastery in Hokkaido, and "Within the Wall," located inside a women's prison in Wakayama. Despite their contrasting motivations—one rooted in voluntary faith, the other in legal confinement—both existences share a common thread of human solitude and internal seeking within enclosed boundaries.

This definitive new edition revitalizes the out-of-print classic by incorporating a generous selection of previously unpublished works. Designed by Yuya Sano and featuring an insightful essay by curator Noriko Tsutaya, this volume captures the raw energy and existential tension of Ikko Narahara’s early masterwork in its ultimate form.