Legendary Daido Moriyama's gritty portrayal of ancient Japanese tradition in the modern world

Tokyo is more often than not captured with high-contrast colour photography to heighten the ubiquitous neon lights and bright colours. But what happens when you capture Tokyo in the gritty, black and white street photography usually synonymous with New York City? Well, look no further than the photography of Daido Moriyama – one of Japan’s leading documenters of urban life since the 1950s. Currently exhibiting at LACMA, Moriyama’s work transports you to a potentially unfamiliar city, filled with characters and creatures you would normally find in old movies and fiction. Through his images, Moriyama tries to convey a sense of ancient tradition mingling uncomfortably with – or clinging desperately on to – contemporary culture.