Silent Histories was originally published as a handmade photobook in a limited edition of 45 copies, and is now available for the first time in a trade edition. Shortlisted for Paris Photo/Aperture Photo Book Award 2014, it was also selected for TIME, Lens Culture, and The Telegraph's Best Photobooks of 2014 lists.

The postwar “Japanese economic miracle” took place in the wake of incredible destruction — indiscriminate bombing by US forces during the Second World War had destroyed millions of homes, killed 330,000 Japanese citizens and injured 430,000 others. Children wounded in the war were an uncomfortable reminder of the devastation, and many chose lives of secrecy and concealment, continuing to silently struggle with their injuries and disabilities as adults.

Photographer Kazuma Obara (born 1985) sheds light on these “silent histories” with a collection of sensitive portraits of six survivors interspersed with historical and personal material, including school photographs, views of Japanese cities in 1945, personal snapshots and government-issued disability cards.

Read the review by Adam Bell on photo-eye Blog