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[AVANT GARDE] UMEHARA Hakumei, editor : GUROTESKU GROTESQUE Vol.1 #2

[AVANT GARDE] UMEHARA Hokumei, editor. GUROTESUKU GROTESQUE Vol.1 #2. Wrappers, 21.7 x 15 cm. Tokyo, Showa 3 [1928] GROTESQUE is in one sense the successor to the important avant garde journal BUNGEI SHIJO, first published in November of 1925, At first solidly left wing, with contributions by such important figures as Murayama Tomoyoshi, the magazine lasted for 19 issues, into 1927, when Umehara took his interests into less political and more scandalous avenues and began publishing GROTESQUE magazine, the heart of the ero-guro movement. This second number barely reached the light of day as the first issue with its bare-breasted lovelies had been far too popular. It might be considered that Umehara's fundamental impulse was anti-censorship, not necessarily anti- authoritarian. By the invasion of Manchuria in the early 1930's his sympathies had gone over to the army and his erotic journals were full of pompous justifications of war written by active figures in the military high command and callous commentary on published photos of war atrocities were not uncommon. Umehara, and his productions BUNGEI ICHIBA and GROTESQUE are important and interesting material for an understanding of the evolution going on from late Taisho into Showa. It is quite clear that Murayama and Umehara, who had cooperated at the dawn of the avant garde, ended up going in very different directions. Overall good condition., Good

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