Flying solo: Ravens by photographer Masahisa Fukase

Kanazawa (1978) After the breakup of his marriage, Fukase began a 10-year obsession with photographing ravens. Widely seen as a symbol of dark and dangerous times, they seem to mirror his mournful mood Photograph: Masahisa Fukase Photograph: guardian.co.uk Koen-dori, Shibuya (1982) After the split, Fukase suffered from bouts of depression and heavy drinking. 'I work and photograph while hoping to stop everything,' he once said Photograph: Masahisa Fukase Photograph: guardian.co.uk Erimo Cape (1976) In 1992, five years after the photobook was published, Fukase fell down a flight of stairs. He has been in a coma ever since Photograph: Masahisa Fukase Photograph: guardian.co.uk Koen-dori, Shibuya (1982) Fukase's former wife, now remarried, visits him in hospital twice a month. 'He remains part of my identity – that's why I still visit him,' she says Photograph: Masahisa Fukase Photograph: guardian.co.uk