Yakushima is an island in the North Pacific that seems to have its own spirit, its own magic. It is rich in Japanese traditions, as well as exceptional natural beauty—with its lush vegetation, wild coast, ancient trees, and proud mountains.

I had not heard of Yakushima, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, before wandering into a gallery at the famous Rencontres d’Arles—a massive annual photography event in southern France.

Thousands of photographs are presented at this summer festival, from vintage treasures to the trends of tomorrow. But there was something special about the collection of images from a group of Japanese (and Japan-inspired) photographers.

The connection to nature was strong. The appreciation of beauty—both everyday and extraordinary—had deep roots. And the energy of earth, water, fire, wind, and sky was palpable.

The humility of the photographers was refreshing, as was their willingness to share the underlying philosophies that influence their work.

They had met through the Yakushima Photography Festival (YPF), a collective of French, American, and Japanese photographers who had all felt the spirit of Yakushima.

Kodo Chijiiwa

Living on an island, he also knows the power of typhoons and wanted to photograph the force of the winds on Yakushima.

He tried to stabilize his body and the camera; but, he explained, “The winds could control me as they wanted. So, I decided to express the sensation of my body being tossed around by making double exposures of the land and sea.”

Miho Suzuki

Simply put, Miho believes in beauty—in appreciating the trivial things in nature and daily life.

She was inspired by an excerpt from “Two Poems on the Rose” by Kitahara Hakushu that asked the question: why should we marvel at a single rose bloom?

She dedicated her series of photographs to capturing something beautiful each day.

“I have captured the moments that took my breath away in my daily life,” Miho says.

The project is so personal that she doesn’t care if anyone else shares her sense of beauty. The vision is hers alone. These photographs—these memories— bring her happiness.

Antonin Borgeaud

Antonin is a Frenchman and co-founder of the Yakushima Photography Festival. His new series from Yakushima focuses on the lively personalities of the island—the macaques.

These old-world monkeys inhabit a small part of the island, indifferent to the presence of human visitors.

Antonin looked for the soul of each and presents a series of portraits where we are shown something of their curious personality.

Even though it is not recommended to make eye contact with a macaque (it’s a sign of aggression), the photographs clearly show a connection between subject and photographer.

Shizuka Sato

She also named him, when her parents asked her to suggest a name. Her music class was studying conductor’s batons (called takuto in Japanese). She liked the sound of the word . . . and so did her parents.

Shizuka went away for a time, and when she returned home, she was surprised to see how quickly Takuto had grown. He was no longer a child. He was a young man.

Her photographs of Takuto tell a story of vanishing time—and deliver a nostalgic message that many things, including youth, are fleeting. The underlying message: Savor the moments.

Satoru Watanabe

Satoru’s stunning photography is born from Japanese traditions and respect for nature. He explains his influences:

“My grandmother was country-bred and prayed to everything. For her, kami-sama (the gods) was not something to seek forgiveness from, nor something that made wishes come true. Kami-sama was invisible, and yet worth folding her hands to.

I can still hear her saying ‘Don’t make a wish to the gods. Just pray with folded hands.’

When I take walks in the forest up in the mountains, I believe the energy I felt was the same existence that my grandmother was folding her hands to—the gods in nature.

As I grow older, the frequencies in which I fold my hands increases, but even now, I never make a wish.”

Satoru doesn’t make wishes. He simply portrays the beauty and clarity of life in his photographs.

Oh, I See

One of Satoru’s books is called Da.gasita. This phrase, In the Yonezawa dialect of Japanese, means “Oh I See.” The Japanese use the phrase often in conversation to let people know they have heard what’s being said and acknowledge its importance.

In wandering into the small gallery in Arles of this interesting group of photographers, I heard (and saw) what was being said. Da.gasita.

And my vision of Japanese traditions and my reverence for nature and beauty has been altered forever.

Comment on this post below, or inspire insight with your own OIC Moment here.

$\"Yakushima$

The primeval rainforest of Japan’s Yakushima Island
\u00a9 Kodo Chijiiwa<\/p><\/div>\n

Photographers Show Reverence for Nature, Beauty, and Time<\/h2>\n
Yakushima is an island in the North Pacific that seems to have its own spirit, its own magic. It is rich in Japanese traditions, as well as exceptional natural beauty\u2014with its lush vegetation, wild coast, ancient trees, and proud mountains.<\/p>\n
I had not heard of Yakushima, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, before wandering into a gallery at the famous Rencontres d\u2019Arles<\/em>\u2014a massive annual photography event\u00a0in southern France.<\/p>\n
Thousands of photographs are presented at this summer festival, from vintage treasures to the trends of tomorrow. But there was something special about the collection of images from a group of Japanese (and Japan-inspired) photographers.<\/p>\n
$\"Swirling$
The powerful forces of nature
\u00a9 Antonin Borgeaud<\/p><\/div>\n
The connection to nature was strong. The appreciation of beauty\u2014both everyday and extraordinary\u2014had deep roots. And the energy of earth, water, fire, wind, and sky was palpable.<\/p>\n
The humility of the photographers was refreshing, as was their willingness to share the underlying philosophies that influence their work.<\/p>\n
They had met through the Yakushima Photography Festival (YPF), a collective of French, American, and Japanese photographers who had all felt the spirit of Yakushima.<\/p>\n
Each photographer has his or her\u00a0own vision of Japan and Japanese traditions.<\/p>\n
Meet Kodo, Miho, Antonin, Shizuka, and Satoru.<\/p>\n
$\"Double$
At the mercy of typhoon winds on Yakushima
\u00a9 Kodo Chijiiwa<\/p><\/div>\n
Kodo Chijiiwa<\/h4>\n
Kodo grew up on Yakushima and knows many of the secrets of its land and sea.<\/p>\n
$\"Kodo$
Kodo Chijiiwa
\u00a9 Meredith Mullins<\/p><\/div>\n
Living on an island, he also knows the power of typhoons and wanted to photograph the force of the winds on Yakushima.<\/p>\n
He tried to stabilize his body and the camera; but, he explained, \u201cThe winds could control me as they wanted. So, I decided to express the sensation of my body being tossed around by making double exposures of the land and sea.\u201d<\/p>\n
These are photographs of sheer energy. We feel the force of nature.<\/p>\n
Miho Suzuki<\/h4>\n
Simply put, Miho believes in beauty\u2014in appreciating the trivial things in nature and daily life.<\/p>\n
$\"Red$
Beauty in everyday life
\u00a9 Miho Suzuki<\/p><\/div>\n
She was inspired by an excerpt from \u201cTwo Poems on the Rose\u201d by Kitahara Hakushu that asked the question: why should we\u00a0marvel at a single rose bloom?<\/p>\n
$\"Miho$
Miho Suzuki
\u00a9 Meredith Mullins<\/p><\/div>\n
She dedicated her series of photographs to capturing something beautiful each day.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have captured the moments that took my breath away in my daily life,\u201d Miho says.<\/p>\n
The project is so personal that she doesn\u2019t care if anyone else shares her sense of beauty. The vision is hers alone. These photographs\u2014these memories\u2014 bring her happiness.<\/p>\n
Antonin Borgeaud<\/h4>\n
Antonin is a Frenchman and co-founder of the Yakushima Photography Festival. His new series from Yakushima focuses on the lively personalities of the island\u2014the macaques.<\/p>\n
$\"Yakushima$
Making eye contact with a Yakushima Macaque
\u00a9 Antonin Borgeaud<\/p><\/div>\n
$\"Antonin$
Antonin Borgeaud
\u00a9 Meredith Mullins<\/p><\/div>\n
These old-world monkeys inhabit a small part of the island, indifferent to the presence of human visitors.<\/p>\n
Antonin looked for the soul of each and presents a series of portraits where we are shown something of their curious personality.<\/p>\n
Even though it is not recommended to make eye contact with a macaque (it\u2019s a sign of aggression), the photographs clearly show a connection between subject and photographer.<\/p>\n
Shizuka Sato<\/h4>\n
$\"Shizuka$
Shizuka Sato
\u00a9 Meredith Mullins<\/p><\/div>\n
Shizuka is sister and godmother to her younger brother Takuto.<\/p>\n
She also named him, when her parents asked her to suggest a name. Her music class was studying conductor\u2019s batons (called takuto<\/i> in Japanese). She liked the sound of the word . . . and so did her parents.<\/p>\n
Shizuka went away for a time, and when she returned home, she was surprised to see how quickly Takuto had grown. He was no longer a child. He was a young man.<\/p>\n
$\"Young$
A time of transition\u2014vanishing youth
\u00a9 Shizuka Sato<\/p><\/div>\n
Her photographs of Takuto tell a story of vanishing time\u2014and deliver a nostalgic message that many things, including youth, are fleeting. The underlying message: Savor the moments.<\/p>\n
Satoru Watanabe<\/h4>\n
Satoru\u2019s stunning photography is born from\u00a0Japanese traditions and respect\u00a0for nature. He explains his influences:<\/p>\n
\u201cMy grandmother was country-bred and prayed to everything. For her, kami-sama (the gods) was not something to seek forgiveness from, nor something that made wishes come true. Kami-sama\u00a0was invisible, and yet worth folding her hands to.<\/em><\/p>\n
$\"Photograph$
Kami-sama energy
\u00a9 Satoru Watanabe<\/p><\/div>\n
$\"Satoru$
Satoru Watanabe
\u00a9 Meredith Mullins<\/p><\/div>\n
I can still hear her saying ‘Don\u2019t make a wish to the gods. Just pray with folded hands.’<\/em><\/p>\n
When I take walks in the forest up in the mountains, I believe the energy I felt was the same existence that my grandmother was folding her hands to\u2014the gods in nature.<\/em><\/p>\n
As I grow older, the frequencies in which I fold my hands increases, but even now, I never make a wish.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n
Satoru doesn\u2019t make wishes. He simply portrays the beauty and clarity\u00a0of life in his photographs.<\/p>\n
$\"Bottle$
Reverence for beauty and simplicity
\u00a9 Satoru Watanabe<\/p><\/div>\n
Oh, I See<\/h4>\n
$\"Da.Gasita$
Da.gasita. Oh I See.
\u00a9 Meredith Mullins<\/p><\/div>\n
One of Satoru\u2019s books is called Da.gasita. <\/em>This phrase, In the Yonezawa dialect of Japanese, means \u201cOh I See.\u201d<\/strong> The Japanese use the phrase often in conversation to let people know they have heard what\u2019s being said and acknowledge its importance.<\/p>\n
In wandering into the small gallery in Arles of this interesting group of photographers, I heard (and saw) what was being said. Da.gasita.<\/em><\/p>\n
And my vision of Japanese traditions and my reverence for nature and beauty has been altered forever.<\/p>\n
Arigatou<\/em> Yakushima.<\/p>\n
$\"Sun$
Earth and sky
\u00a9 Satoru Watanabe<\/p><\/div>\n
For more information on the Yakushima Photography Festival, visit here.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n
For more information on the Rencontres d’Arles, visit here.<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n
Comment<\/a><\/i>\u00a0on this post below, or inspire insight with your own\u00a0OIC Moment\u00a0<\/em>here<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":null,"protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":25845,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[99,217,171],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-25830","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-heritage-culture","category-japan-mappoints","category-photography-creative"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25830","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=25830"}],"version-history":[{"count":28,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25830\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":40764,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/25830\/revisions\/40764"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25845"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=25830"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=25830"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.oh-i-see.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=25830"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}