On Memorial Day, today I received ‘78’ Issei Suda’s last photo book = published posthumously.  Researching his style he is set apart from the other more famous Japanese photographers of his era.  He blossomed late in life and to a certain extent his appreciation is continuing to grow.  He was never a part of revolutionary groups - like those participating in PROVOKE like Daido and Araki.

In an interview with Ferdinand Brueggemann, a Japanese photography specialist the maturation of the photographer there is different than in the US or Europe.  Typically the western photographer hopes to get a gallery showing with book appearances occurring much later.

Books by photographers are second only to photography exhibitions in terms of their importance for the reception of Japanese photography. Books by photographers are of much greater importance in Japan than in the West. In Japan, artists have traditionally presented their works to the public by means of their books and magazines and – as was previously mentioned – young artists are still more likely to have a publisher than a gallerist.  -Ferdinand Brueggemann