signed copy #357/500

In 1963, controversial author Yukio Mishima and photographer Eikoh Hosoe put the finishing touches on their masterful collaboration Barakei (Killed by Roses), part photographic performance, part surreal portrait of Mishima as both iconoclast and self-mythologist. The original edition, designed by Kohei Sugiura, famously established the touchstone for two subsequent editions in 1971 and 1985. Aperture is delighted to reissue this faithfully reproduced facsimile of the 1963 classic, making available once again one of the most infamous and intriguing photo books of the twentieth century. This edition is exquisitely produced by the Japanese art shop NADiff, in close consultation with Eikoh Hosoe. It is published in a limited edition of five hundred copies for Aperture and five hundred copies for NADiff.

Eikoh Hosoe (born in Yamagata Prefecture, Japan, 1933) is an integral part of the history of modern Japanese photography; he remains a driving force not only for his own work, but also for his efforts as a teacher and ambassador, fostering artistic exchange between Japan and the rest of the world. Hosoe is represented by Howard Greenberg Gallery, New York. He lives in Tokyo.