Hiroshi Watanabe Pairs Japanese Horror Stories And Photography In His Book, Kwaidan
- Name
- Hiroshi Watanabe
- Project
- Kwaidan, Stories and Studies of Strange Things
- Words
- Steph Wade
Japanese photographer Hiroshi Watanabe blends together conceptual black and white photography with supernatural stories and Japanese folklore in his new print publication, Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things.
The photo book is a new edition of the critically acclaimed book of the same name; first published in 1903 by the writer Lafcadio Hearn, the book features a collection of horror stories, Japanese legends, and ghost stories presented in English for Western audiences. The tales are some of the first examples of modern fantasy literature: including man-eating goblins, insects who parrot human behavior, and a musician who performs to a dead audience. Hearn died soon after the book’s publication, only finding posthumous success. Over a century later, Watanabe has used the eerie stories as the conceptual basis for his imagery in Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things, presenting this new edition of the classic text in print. For more information on Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things, or to purchase a copy, click here.
All images © Hiroshi Watanabe