OKINAWA OKINAWA OKINAWA by Shomei Tomatsu

A photobook by renowned Japanese photographer Shomei Tomatsu.

This work is composed of photographs and texts documenting Okinawa while it was still under U.S. occupation, following Tomatsu’s move to the islands in 1972. The images, captured through a deeply personal yet observational lens, are neither strictly journalistic nor purely documentary. They reveal, with quiet intensity, the complex and layered reality of life in Okinawa.

The title’s striking phrase―“It is not that there are military bases in Okinawa, but rather that Okinawa exists within the bases”―encapsulates the work’s central perspective. The photographs and writing within continue to challenge and provoke reflection, even decades later.

This piece stands as one of Tomatsu's most significant publications.

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Title: OKINAWA OKINAWA OKINAWA
Artist: Shomei Tomatsu
Publisher: Shaken, 1969
Format: Softcover with three inserts
Size: 210 × 260 mm
Pages: 96
Edition: First edition
Language: Japanese
Price: ¥77,000

Condition: Age-related toning, spotting, rubbing, minor tears, and creases present, but no damage that interferes with viewing.