Birds 2 — Masao Yamamoto
Birds 2 is a portfolio of six loose collotype prints, published by Benrido in Kyoto in 2025. It is not a bound photobook: the sheets are supplied unbound, housed in a protective case, each one intended to be handled, viewed, or framed independently.
The portfolio continues a selection Masao Yamamoto began with Birds in 2020, again made jointly with Benrido. The six images reproduce the tonal character of Yamamoto's sepia-toned originals through collotype, a printing process built on a gelatin-based plate rather than a conventional halftone screen. This allows for fine gradation across the photographic image — a quality collotype has historically been used for in the reproduction and preservation of cultural and photographic material.
Some of the original photographic print editions of the selected images are no longer available. That circumstance concerns those original prints specifically; it does not apply to this portfolio, which is published as an open edition.
Each sheet measures 254 × 203 mm, held within a case of 258 × 206 × 8 mm. The set includes an English-language leaflet describing the collotype process, its characteristics, and its use by Benrido. Text throughout is presented in Japanese and English.
Orders are dispatched from Germany with tracked shipping. For related work, see the Masao Yamamoto collection, or browse further Benrido collotype editions and the wider selection of Japanese photobooks at Lokator100.
