It is the first in a series of independent documentaries that Tsuchimoto made of the mercury poisoning incident in Minamata, Japan.
The cause of this contamination in Minamata bay was then traced back to Chisso Corporation’s dumping of methylmercury into Minamata.
Since then he has published eleven books, including W. Eugene Smith's Minamata and Norman Mailer's Marilyn.
-- Yes, really: "photographics" with an "s" on the end. --> the name since April 1, 2004 of what was previously the Tsuwano Documentary Photograph Gallery; this features photographs by and is named after Shisei Kuwabara, famous for his work in Minamata and Korea.