‘Ravens’, by Masahisa Fukase, is considered one of the most prolific photo books published. Its hauntingly dreamlike atmosphere illustrated the author’s personal despair. Fukase was born in Japan in 1932, and spent his developing years entrenched in the melancholic post-war Japan. This sense of dread which characterised Japan at this time is seen in many of his early works, such as Kill The Pigs, a candid photoshoot done in a slaughterhouse. However, his next collection, From The Window, showcased a different tone. This was a collection of 32 photos all of which were of his Wife taken from his apartment window. The project’s subject, Yoko, felt her husband’s sole reason for staying in the relationship was just to take photos of her, a sentiment Fukase himself reluctantly confirmed. They split up in 1976, plunging the photographer into a depression. On a train ride back to his hometown, Fukase took some photos of ravens, sparking a decade-long obsession with the bird.

The images were of ravens in various ways. Their footprints in the snow, their corpses, them in flight, them perched on a fence, close ups, shots taken from so far you could only see its silhouette. Fukase used these ravens as an extension of himself. The book is a collection of self-portraits. The raven symbolises loss. They are often found in the aftermath of war, scattered across a battlefield inspecting the dead. The ravens in Fukase’s work accompany the sense of emptiness he felt after his wife left him. At the same time however, the Raven serves as an omen for dark times and death. Six years after publishing the book, Fukase fell down and entered a coma for 20 years, dying in 2012.

Many of the photos are by no means ‘pretty’. They are haunting, and filled with sorrow. The images evoke emotions of solitude and hopelessness. Many of the photographs are taken in the winter. The season’s chillingness seeps through the pages of the book. Its tone is sombre and represents the artist’s obsessive nature and sombre vision.

Image Credits:

Featured Image: Masahisa Fukase

Body Image: Masahisa Fukase