was a Japanese photography critic, curator, and magazine editor.
Yamagishi entered Mainichi Shinbunsha (publisher of Mainichi Shinbun) in 1950. He started as a photographer.
From 1963 until its July 1978 issue, Yamagishi edited Camera Mainichi, and was widely admired both for the quality of the photography he was able to present there and for the encouragement he gave to young photographers. During this period advertising was attracting some of the most talented photographers, and Yamagishi was particularly noted for the way in which he persuaded photographers working in advertising to pursue their own photographic interests during their spare time. As an editor (and curator), Yamagishi had the knack of evaluating and selecting photographs much faster than his peers. Camera Mainichi was under much pressure from its publisher to make money, or at least not to lose money; the degree of pressure irked Yamagishi and was what caused him to resign.
Yamagishi worked with his friend John Szarkowski to mount two exhibitions of Japanese photography in New York. "New Japanese Photography" (Museum of Modern Art, 1974) presented works by Ryà Âji Akiyama, Ken Domon, Masahisa Fukase, Eikà  Hosoe, Tetsuya Ichimura, Yasuhiro Ishimoto, Bishin Jà «monji, Kikuji Kawada, Daidà  Moriyama, Masatoshi Naità Â, Ikkà  Narahara, Ken Ohara, Akihide Tamura (as Shigeru Tamura), Shà Âmei Tà Âmatsu, and Hiromi Tsuchida. "Japan, a Self-Portrait" (International Center of Photography, 1979) presented works by Ryà Âji Akiyama, Nobuyoshi Araki, Taiji Arita, Masahisa Fukase, Shinzà  Hanabusa, Hiroshi Hamaya, Miyako Ishiuchi, Kikuji Kawada, Jun Morinaga, Daidà  Moriyama, Ikkà  Narahara, Kishin Shinoyama, Issei Suda, Shà Âmei Tà Âmatsu, Haruo Tomiyama, Hiromi Tsuchida, Shà Âji Ueda, Gashà  Yamamura, and Hiroshi Yamazaki.
Yamagishi suffered from intermittent depression. This was exacerbated by the pressures of making the selections for a Magnum exhibition in Tokyo, prompting his suicide.