Record 51

One of Daido Moriyama’s most personal projects is the magazine Record (Kiroku): five issues appeared between 1972 and 1973, but then the magazine disappeared, only to reappear in 2006. Since then, Moriyama has continued to publish Record at a rate of two or three issues a year.

The magazine has become the platform that best represents the diaristic format of this photographer. The issues feature images taken in different cities. This 51st issue is devoted to Nishi-Shinjuku, the so-called skyscraper district, and reflects on how long it has been since he last set foot and shot in that area of Shinjuku, Tokyo.

He had been working on a close-up of a woman’s voluptuous lips for a billboard when he was inspired to walk to the district and continue shooting in black and white, capturing the spirit of the neighbourhood.