GINZA TOKYO 1964 Ko Ito

Ginza, 1964. Amidst the feverish energy of Japan’s high-economic growth, a 21-year-old youth named Ko Ito traversed the streets with his Leica, capturing fragments of a city in transformation.

Eight years after the government declared that "the postwar period is over," Ginza was a stage for the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. Ito’s lens documented a landscape draped in international flags, rising skyscrapers, and the stylish "Miyuki-zoku" youth loitering on the corners. Yet, his work reaches beyond mere urban prosperity. By deliberately framing discarded cigarette butts and overflowing trash cans, or the encroaching symbols of Americanization, Ito hinted at the contradictions hidden behind the glamour. Despite these sharp observations, his photographs are imbued with a boyish sense of hope and a profound warmth toward the everyday people sustaining the city’s vitality.

What is truly remarkable is that after producing such vivid street photography, Ito pivoted to a career as a ceramicist. His name remained unknown to the photographic world until his passing at age 72. His work lay forgotten in the shadows of history for over half a century until 2020—the year Tokyo was set to host the Olympics once again—when Morioka Shoten in Ginza rediscovered and published this miracle of a collection.

This book resonates with the ambient sounds and vibrant life of 1964. Within these monochrome scenes lies a "will to affirm the world," a timeless perspective that speaks to us even today.