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Photo Book Reviews

Ba Ra Kei (Ordeal by Roses) (Aperture) by Eikoh Hosoe Reviewed by Elizabeth Israel Article rating: 3.50

First published in 1963, Ba Ra Kei (Ordeal by Roses) is the result of an extraodinary collaboration between Eikoh Hosoe, one of the most influential master photographers of this century, and his subject Yukio Mishima, the famous and enigmatic Japanese author.

Mishima was so impressed with Hosoe's photos for the cover of one of his books that he approached Hosoe and gave him full creative control to photograph him.

Hosoe photographed the novelist among painted backdrops based on Giorgiones’ Sleeping Venus in Mishima's Baroque style home in Japan and in the studio of Tatsumi Hijikata (founder of the Butoh dance form)   Tatsumi, Tatsumi's lover, and Mishima became characters in these theatrical images.

Giving people a glimpse into the life of a unique and complex man, the book earned international fame.  The lavish props used in the photos, symbolizing the opposite of the traditional Japanese ideal of restraint, help to tell the story of the novelist's own conflicts between east and west.  Through Hosoe’s 35 Large Format prints, we see Mishima’s dark, dreamlike imagination revealed.

Weeks before the book was scheduled for its second publication in 1970, news of Mishima’s ritual suicide swept across Japan.  Many regarded his suicide as a sensational act, though he had carefully been planning it for many years. He was only 45 at the time of his death and did not want to see himself grow old.  Shortly before his death Mishima wrote “I will never admit to the decay of the flesh “. 

These metaphorical images chronicling a journey of life and death are Hosoe' attempt to immortalize his friend, who died for his extreme political and personal beliefs.
 
Out of print for nearly twenty years, this latest edition has a new cover as well as an afterward written by Eikoh Hosoh.  Ba Ra Kei is not only a beautiful portrayal of the celebrated author, but also an extraordinary work of photography that would make an excellent addition to any collection. 

If you would like to find out information on where to buy a copy of Ba Ra Kei (Ordeal by Roses) check out >>www.Aperture.org

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