George Masa emigrated to this country from his native Japan in the early 1900’s - and eventually, he settled in Asheville, North Carolina.
A self-taught photographer, he mapped uncleared trails in the Southern Appalachian Mountains - much of what is today the Appalachian Trail.
Masa became friends with Horace Kephart - a writer, conservationist and naturalist - and together, their collaboration played a role in the creation of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.
![Cover of “George Masa’s Wild Vision”](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/97caf25/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1961x2400+0+0/resize/880x1077!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F1a%2F77%2Fb3840aa346659fdc54a7e1c8ad07%2Fmasa-b.jpg)
Brent Martin - a poet and environmental organizer - is the author of a new book, “George Masa’s Wild Vision: A Japanese Immigrant Imagines Western North Carolina,” published by Hub City Press.
Martin visited places that Masa captured with his camera - offering reflections on dozens of his photos.
![Brent Martin](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/3d0533d/2147483647/strip/true/crop/2980x2731+0+0/resize/880x806!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F37%2Ff9%2F57fafbec462db90c9580fd3f58f5%2Fmartin.jpg)