Stray Dog (Misawa)

In 1971, wandering near a US military base in Misawa, Aomori Prefecture in northern Japan, Daido Moriyama stepped out of his hotel into bright morning sunlight and spotted a feral stray dog slinking along an unpaved alley.

He quickly raised his Leica M4, snapped one handheld shot without breaking stride, and captured the menacing, watchful glance of the animal over its shoulder. With coarse film grain, harsh contrast, and intense psychological tension, the dog came to symbolize Moriyama himself and the untethered spirit of post-war Tokyo street photography.