It has been 56 years since photographer Ikko Narahara's early masterpiece "Oukoku (Kingdom)" (1958) has been shown in Tokyo.
This collection of images, "Domains" was first published in 1958, and features photographs taken at a monastery alongside those taken at a women's prison — a deliberate juxtapositon of two extreme environments.
Taken in black and white, the pairings reveal, on first impression, similarities in living conditions that seem quite surprising. The collection includes some changes by Narahara for the 1971 edition of photographs, when he added scenes of the abandoned Nagasaki island of Hashima as a part three. In 1978, however, he returned to the original concept of "Domains," which this exhibition focuses on; Nov. 18-March 1.
The National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo; 3-1 Kitanomaru-koen, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo. Takebashi Stn. 10 a.m.- 5 p.m. (Fri. till 8 p.m.). ¥430. Closed Mon. 03-5777-8600; www.momat.go.jp
