[About the Book]

Steam locomotives can no longer be seen in Japan.
But have those landscapes truly disappeared?

This book is a monochrome photo collection capturing steam locomotives that once ran through a region of Japan.
What appears in these pages is not only the trains themselves, but the rural scenery, the lives of the people, and the atmosphere of an era that existed alongside them.

In distant views, the locomotives merge with vast natural landscapes.
In close-ups, the texture of iron and the movement of smoke come into focus.
With each turn of the page, the sound and even the scent of steam seem to quietly return.

At a certain exhibition of these photographs, a student once left a comment:
“I wish I had been born in that time.”
Those words capture everything this book conveys.

This book is a journey to reconnect with a lost landscape of Japan.
Recommended not only for railway enthusiasts, but also for readers interested in postwar Japan, black-and-white photography, nostalgia, and historical scenery.


[Author Profile]

Kazuo Horichi
Born in Kochi City in 1933 (Showa 8)

October 1995 (Heisei 7): Photo exhibition “Clear Stream: Niyodo River” (Ino Town Paper Museum)
December 1996 (Heisei 8): 2nd photo exhibition “Clear Stream: Niyodo River” (Ino Town Paper Museum)
November 1998 (Heisei 10): Photo exhibition “Landscapes of Japan” (Ino Town Paper Museum)
July 2006 (Heisei 18): Photo exhibition “Shrines, Temples, and Landscapes of Nara” (Ino Town Paper Museum)
September 2006 (Heisei 18): Photo exhibition “Nostalgic SL” (Ino Town Paper Museum)
February 2008 (Heisei 20): Photo exhibition “Akebono-tsutsuji” (Sunny Axis Nankoku Store)
January 2009 (Heisei 21): Photo exhibition “Nostalgic SL (II)” (Sunny Axis Nankoku Store)
Since 1998 (Heisei 10): Permanent exhibition of local photographs at the “Paper Museum”

Books Featuring His Work
“Selected: Beautiful Nature of Japan” (Asahi Shimbun) 3 works
“Noh no Tomo Series 6: Dojoji” (Hakuryusha) 2 works
“Watching Kochi” (Kochi Prefecture Photographers Association) 3 works

Publication History
February 2011 (Heisei 23): Photo collection “SL on the Kansai Main Line =1972=” (Bungeisha)
December 2019 (Heisei 31): Photo collection “Kansai Main Line: The Last SL” e-book edition / 22nd Century Art