Shigeo Gocho: Works Shigeo Gocho

This definitive photo book chronologically compiles the four photobooks published by Japanese photographer Gocho Shigeo during his lifetime ("Days," "SELF AND OTHERS," "When I Open the Door," and "In a Familiar Town"), as well as two series, "Memories of Water" and "Childhood Time."

This book is the "Works" section of the two-volume "Complete Works of Gocho Shigeo."

Gocho suffered from thoracic caries, a condition caused by tuberculosis bacteria infecting the spine, during his childhood. As a child, Gocho suffered from thoracic caries, a condition caused by tuberculosis bacteria infecting the spine (backbone), and despite being cruelly told by doctors that he only had until he was 20 years old, he endured the rigors of treatment and fought to survive until he passed away from heart failure at the age of 36.

As a student, he went on to study at Kuwasawa Design School, a vocational school for design where some of the most prominent names in the field at the time, including Sugiura Kohei, Tanaka Ikko, Awazu Kiyoshi, and Asakura Setsu, taught.
The artist first came into contact with photography during a class assignment, and upon meeting the photographer Seiji Otsuji, who was teaching at the time, his talent was discovered. At Otsuji's strong urging, he enrolled in the photography major course, and thus began his career as a photographer.

Having spent his childhood tied to a hospital bed for treatment and unable to go outside to play, his gaze is a mixture of envy and sadness as he looks at the free and easy-going children. From there, the artist went on to consider the "differences between self and other" from a psychological perspective, and furthermore, through his lens, he conducted research on the city.

The resulting works, while capturing mundane everyday life, are filled with an indescribable charm that captures people's hearts.