Seiji Kurata – Flash Up (1980)

Seiji Kurata’s Flash Up photobook (1980) is a striking and influential work in Japanese street photography, capturing the raw energy of Tokyo and Yokohama’s underground scenes in the 1970s. Known for his bold use of flash, Kurata documented yakuza, bikers, nightclub performers, and other subcultures with a gritty, high-contrast style.

His images offer an unfiltered look at Japan’s urban nightlife, blending documentary realism with artistic intensity.

Byakuya Shobo, Tokyo, 1980. 210 x 290mm. Softcover with obi and plastic cover, around 160 pages.

First edition. Condition: very good. Some marks of use/storage in the plastic cover, it is loosing pieces around edges and corners. As it can be seen in pictures it also has a broken part that was fixed by previous owner, but this does not affect the state of the book. The cover is in excellent state, only turning a bit yellow. Interiors are excellent. Texts in Japanese and English.