The Sound of Waves by Tatsuo Suzuki

My name is Tatsuo Suzuki and I am a photographer. I am known for taking street photographs and portraits in Tokyo.

My second new book, 濤声 - The Sound of Waves, will be an expression of mourning, of the strength of life, and of the beat and spirit of punk rock.

I am now 59 years old. I will be grateful if I am able to perform satisfactorily as a photographer for ten more years. I feel that I may not have much time left.
I began taking photos at the age of 43, while employed as an office worker. Six years later, in 2014, I became a full time photographer. In 2016, I was awarded the Grand Prize by Steidl Book Award Japan. My first book, Friction / Tokyo Street, was published in 2020.

In Friction / Tokyo Street, my goal was to synchronize the city’s deeply submerged emotions with the fleeting moments when the city and its people intersect, and to shape them into photographs. It is a photo book that reflects the friction with the subjects encountered, the sense of impatience embedded in the city, and the tension that arises therefrom.
Friction / Tokyo Street rapidly sold out. Used copies now sell for several times the original price.

Following the success of Friction / Tokyo Street, I began publishing my own zine, containing my Tokyo street snapshots and portraits. This project concluded when Volume 6 was published, in February 2023. I also organized the collective VoidTokyo, which publishes its own zine.





About The Sound of Waves
The word 濤声 (“tōsei ”) refers to the sound of ocean waves. The sound of violent waves and swells lapping against the shore. It describes the rocks that resist it.

During the confusion of the pandemic era, I suffered the loss of a close friend. Soon after his funeral, I happened to photograph the ocean and the splash of the waves in Hayama. I suddenly felt that he had returned to the sea. At that moment I decided that photographs of water would serve as a motif and as a basis for new work.

I left the city and began to continuously photograph water: rain, rivers, ponds, the ocean. It seemed to me that I could see life arising in the bubbling mountain springs, and I watched as it eventually returned to the sea.

I wanted to infuse these photos with a feeling of music and speed, which from the beginning has undergirded my work, so I also began take photographs related to music. And I also continued to take portraits, often while thinking about parenthood and the cycle of life.

As I reviewed these photos I had taken and began compiling them into a photo book, I found that I was able to successfully express my feelings about mourning, the strength of life, and the beat and spirit of punk rock.

濤声 - The Sound of Waves will be the first book in my new project,“BUNDLE.” The concept of this new project is to continuously publish “bundles” of various photographic ideas, not limited to street photography of Tokyo.

濤声 - The Sound of Waves is ready to print will be published by my own label, SHATARO's LAB. Where my past zines were printed on a slightly glossy paper, this book will be printed on a more subdued matte paper.


The standard edition comes with a print (127x187mm) and a booklet of commentary. The booklet is exclusive to Kickstarter and contains, in both English and Japanese, technical and location details for all photographs, as well as my remarks.
• Size: 180x240×13.5mm
• Number of pages: 160
• Binding: gandare binding
• Cover: matte polypropylene with silver foil stamping
More details on Kickstarter

The deluxe edition comes in a cloth bound box. Inside is an archival print (210x294mm), the booklet of commentary, and a deluxe edition of the photobook. The deluxe edition is larger than the standard edition and is thread sewn for durability and longevity. Two variants will be made, one of which is available only to Kickstarter backers.
• Box Size: 230x313x31mm
• Book Size: 210x297×16mm
• Binding: thread sewn, swiss binding
• Number of pages: 160
• Cover: matte polypropylene with silver foil stamping
More details on Kickstarter