OJO SHASHU: Photography for the Afterlife Nobuyoshi Araki

Published in conjunction with his 2014 exhibition, this photobook serves as a profound meditation on the concept of Ojo—a Buddhist term for "passing to the afterlife"—prompted by Araki’s personal encounters with cancer, the death of his beloved cat Chiro, and the aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake. Structured around three themes—"Faces," "Skyscapes," and "Roads"—the collection reveals the delicate gradation between life and death within ordinary, everyday scenes. Featuring elegant book design by Naoko Nakui and the refined sensibilities of an all-female editorial team, this work tempers Araki’s characteristic intensity with a newfound sense of serenity. It stands as a monumental record that presents a quiet, introspective side of the photographer’s enduring legacy.