shashasha

As if to proudly announce his return to Shibuya – or perhaps the return of Shibuya’s bustling crowds – Daido Moriyama’s “Record No. 49” opens with a spread of the famous Shibuya crossing overflowing with people. Moriyama, who took things more slowly in recent “Record” issues after a period of poor health, mixes with the crowds in Shibuya’s streets again, focusing his lens on dynamically unfolding scenes, advertisements and the various textures of the street.
In the long afterword, Moriyama reminisces about his long career and the influence of late photographer Seiryu Inoue on his work.

“It was more than sixty years ago that Inoue taught me, a newbie who had just plunged into the world of photography in Osaka, on the spot what street photography was all about. It didn’t happen in the form of verbal lectures though. Simply following and watching him as he swiftly captured the sceneries of Kamagasaki, produced a stencil of sorts, that left such a deep impression that the street inevitably became my own hunting ground.
(…)
I have taken quite a lot of snapshots in Shibuya up to now, because for some reason I’ve been arrested by that desire to grab my camera and mix with the Shibuya crowd, be part of the hustle and bustle. I would just wander through the streets, driven by the urge to point my camera at the motley bunch of people who pass by. So I kept walking around Shibuya for three days straight until I was satisfied, at least for the time being. This is how you do it, right, Inoue-san?”
— from Daido Moriyama’s afterword (included in Japanese and in English translation)