Fighting Japan's hair censorship
A small resistance.

The misprint was found under the author's biography page at the end of the book. It was a small, sharp, lucky ear. It looked like a sign of resistance to the "hair censorship" that was imposed upon publication.

This book was published in conjunction with the large-scale retrospective exhibition "Man Ray Photographs," held at the Centre Pompidou in Paris from 1981 to 1982. Misuzu Shobo was involved in the Japanese side, and the book was published as an international co-publishing effort in January 1983. However, for Misuzu Shobo, this was a disappointing publication.

The year before publication, the unbound printed matter arrived safely from France, but Tokyo Customs unexpectedly intercepted it, claiming that it was "deemed to be an article that offends public morals." The problem was four photographs that showed women's pubic hair. Misuzu Shobo protested many times, but in the end their protests were not accepted, and Tokyo Customs forced Misuzu Shobo to choose between returning the photographs, discarding them, or smearing them with black. In the end, they published the book by painting out the hair in the relevant photographs with black squares.

This book comes with an appendix titled "Documents on the Censorship Issue," which tells the whole story. It is interesting to note that this appendix describes the custom of censorship in Japan, which is still practiced in the 1980s, and is not limited to this book. As a fellow editor, I cannot help but admire Misuzu Shobo's attitude in overcoming the impossible emergency of covering up the photographs with the photographer's book, realizing the publication itself, and then publicizing this issue in an attempt to protect the cultural significance of the book against the censorship of Japan at the time.

Another appeal of this book is the rich text that is unique to Misuzu Shobo. The preface was written by Jean-Hubert Martin, who served as director of the French National Museum of Modern Art (Centre Pompidou) from 1971 to 1982 and also organized the Man Ray exhibition. It also includes several critiques and a dialogue with Man Ray. It offers a glimpse into how Man Ray, who was at the center of 20th century avant-garde art movements such as Dadaism and Surrealism, pioneered photographic expression rooted in the "sources of the modern age."



"table of contents"

An American Comes to Paris and Quits Painting for the Shadows/Jean-Huppert Martin
Man Ray and the Avant-Garde/Philippe Serres
Photography as a source of comfort/Herbert Mulderings
Anthology Commentary 1/Brigitte Herman Jean-Hubert Martin
In the Time of Man Ray/Janus
Photography is not art/Man Ray
Photography can be art/Man Ray
Conversation with Man Ray
Anthology Commentary 2/Brigitte Herman Jean-Hubert Martin
The emergence of Dada and Surrealism
Eroticism and the Inner Depths
The Mystery of Things
Behind the front door
One popular photographer
index
Chronology



Man Ray (1890-1976)

Born in Philadelphia, USA in 1890. After graduating from high school, he attended the Ferrer Center while also frequenting Stieglitz's Gallery 291, where he began to associate with avant-garde artists. In 1915, he met Marcel Duchamp, who would become his ally, and they became close friends. In 1921, he traveled to France. While becoming acquainted with central members of the Dadaist and Surrealist movements, such as Breton, Tristan Tzara, and Éluard, he began to take photographs in earnest. He returned to the USA briefly in 1940, and returned to Paris again in 1961. He died in 1976. In addition to the "Portrait" photo collection, he also published his autobiography, Self-Portrait (Bijutsu Koronsha/1982).