Shuji Terayama - Machi ni Senjo Ari (A Battlefield in the City) 1968 TRUE 1st Ed ORIGINAL — Moriyama, Nakahira, Yokoyama

[PRODUCT SPECIFICATIONS]
Author: Terayama Shuji (寺山修司)
Title: 街に戦場あり (Machi ni Senjo Ari / A Battlefield in the City)
Photography: Moriyama Daido (森山大道), Nakahira Takuma (中平卓馬), Yokoyama Akira (横山明)
Publisher: Tensei Shuppan (天声出版)
Year Published: 1968 (Showa 43) — True First Edition, First Printing (初版1刷) — ORIGINAL. NOT the 2013 reprint.
Language: Japanese
Format: Softcover (perfect bound)
Size: 21 × 18.5 cm, 240 pages
Weight: 675g

[OVERVIEW]
Published at the peak of Japan's student uprisings and the global upheaval of 1968, Machi ni Senjo Ari stands as one of Shuji Terayama's most visceral provocations. Poet, playwright, filmmaker, and enfant terrible of postwar Japanese culture, Terayama here turns the streets of Tokyo into a battlefield — not of bullets, but of desire, alienation, and revolutionary consciousness. The cover art alone — a surreal montage of fragmented male bodies — announces this as something fundamentally different from polite literary culture. The photographic contributions of Moriyama Daido and Nakahira Takuma, the twin engines of Japan's Provoke movement, charge every page with a documentary rawness that was rewriting the language of photography in real time.

This is the rare 1968 Tensei Shuppan original — not the widely available 2013 reprint. Collectors seeking the authentic artifact of Japan's countercultural moment will find no substitute.

[IMPORTANT NOTE FOR INTERNATIONAL BUYERS: EASY AI TRANSLATION]
While the text is printed in Japanese, you can easily read and study this historic book using modern smartphone AI tools! By taking a photo of any page with your smartphone and using free apps like Google Lens, ChatGPT, or Google Translate, the embedded AI will instantly scan and translate the text on your screen layout. Language is no longer a barrier to owning and enjoying this rare piece of international history.

[WHY THIS VOLUME IS A PRIZED COLLECTOR'S ITEM]
1. Historical & Documentary Value: Published in the pivotal year of 1968, this is a primary document of Japan's countercultural moment — Terayama's literary rage fused with the street photography of Provoke's founding members.
2. Visual & Artistic Value: Photographs by Moriyama Daido and Nakahira Takuma — two of the most sought-after names in 20th-century Japanese photography — make this as much an art object as a literary one.
3. Original 1968 Edition Rarity: A 2013 reprint exists and circulates widely — but this is the true first printing (初版1刷) from Tensei Shuppan, 1968. Over 55 years of survival in Very Good condition is exceptional for a Japanese softcover of this period.

[CONDITION]
Very Good Vintage Condition — Outstanding Survival
- Covers & Spine: The cover retains its original illustration with a gentle, even fading across the surface — a natural patina acquired over 55 years that speaks to the volume's authentic age rather than detracting from it. Top of spine shows wear consistent with age — please refer to photo 3 for accurate reference. Overall presentation remains strong for a mid-century Japanese softcover.
- Binding: Tight, secure, and fully intact.
- Interior & Pages: Natural, even toning consistent with age — no foxing, no inscriptions, no tears. The pages turn cleanly and the photographic reproductions remain sharp.
- *Please carefully inspect all high-resolution listing photos to verify the exceptional vintage condition.