“I am trying to tune into the Japanese soul in order to understand the relationships from within. … most Americans approach the problems from the American side, doing everything according to how the Americans see things, and particularly in Japan that is a misleading thing that often resembles a distorting mirror. I believe that we have an intelligent group of reporters at Magnum, and some of us forget this sometimes and publish pieces of work which do no great service to the Magnum name. ‘A big story never pays–that’s right.’ Yes, I am one of those people who love doing such big stories, and I believe that I will never stop doing so, because these big essays give me a feel for the real circumstances in a country.” - Werner Bischof, Letter to Robert Capa, Tokyo, 1951

This Contact Sheet features photos of the gardens of the Meiji temple. Tokyo, Japan. 1951.

Werner Bischof joined Magnum Photos in 1949.