Canon global

I thought about the foundation of life

-Please tell me about your intentions behind the work, "birds of a feather."

I was never satisfied with photography that concerns disabilities. They are usually either monochrome photographs that are too austere, or the exact opposite: unnaturally cheerful and full of smiles. I never felt comfortable with this. Also, photography of disabled people often categorizes disabilities; for example, photographs of only blind people, or photographs of only intellectually disabled people. I was averse to this, too. I wanted to create work that would embody both disabled and non-disabled people. For this I thought I would have to think about the foundation of life. The fact that there is life right now means there were parents, and before that the parents' parents, and so forth. Many things came together to create this life. In that sense, animals, humans and even insects—all things are equal. I wanted to incorporate this into my work.

-Where did you meet the people in your photographs?

They are from Doglegs, a wrestling group for disabled people, of which I am a member. There are many different people in this group—people with prosthetic limbs, depression, hikikomori (social withdrawal)—and they are all fascinating people. I took the photographs over the course of one year. Photographing them went smoothly, but putting the book together took a lot of time. Just arranging them in order would make them ordinary and often-seen photography about disabilities. So I arranged them under three themes: animals, humans and "different dimensions." The first two categories are common, but you may think "different dimensions" is strange. I often feel that there are moments in everyday life when a door suddenly opens up to an unknown different dimension. I think photography is a good way to capture this feeling, so I often take photos when I get a sense of this different dimension.

-What did you think about your work being selected by Masafumi Sanai?

I had often seen his work in the past, but his photography was a puzzle to me. I didn't understand it. But when I went to see his big solo exhibition at the Taro Okamoto Museum of Art, I suddenly felt that I understood, and from that time I quickly learned to like his work. I think it is curious that he selected my work this time.

-Are there any other photographers you like or artists you were influenced by?

I like the photographers Nobuyoshi Araki and Jin Ohashi. These two photographers are always forthright with their challenges. I also sense their generous acceptance towards incorporating intangible things. Also, I like Michael Kenna and Mario Giacomelli. Although I can't hear, looking at these artists' photographs takes me to an even quieter place.

To commit to understanding people

-When did you start photography, and what made you start?

When I was 19 years old I toured Japan on a scooter motorcycle. On this trip I took photographs with disposable cameras, and I felt that it would be nice to be able to take prettier photos. That was my motive for beginning photography. Later, I once photographed a friend of mine who is deaf. When I saw the finished piece, it was a photograph of a regular person, not a deaf person. So I realized photography does not necessarily show the truth. And I decided I would take photographs of deaf people as deaf people. That was when I began to take photography seriously.

-Does the fact that you don't hear sound affect your photography?

Because I don't hear sound, I think I am able to observe the subject matter itself, for better or for worse. I think this is an advantage. I know my disadvantage is that I cannot converse with people, so I am always thinking about how I can face people without conversation, or how I can feel people. So I really take my time when photographing. If I am photographing someone in a wheelchair, I spend a day in a wheelchair to see what it feels like, and then take the photos while keeping that feeling in my mind. When I photograph a blind person I cover my eyes for a day, and then take the photos. I really commit to understanding the person before I photograph them. This takes a lot of time, and it is an awkward way to go about it, but I think this method suits me best.

-Does this commitment to understanding the person show in your work?

Yes, I like to believe that it does. In my work submitted this time, there is a photograph of a backlit person. This is a photograph of a person with leprosy. When I first asked if I could take his/her photo, he/she said no. But I really wanted to take this photo. So I thought about it and concluded that maybe he/she didn't want to have his/her face taken clearly. So I contemplated a way to take a photograph that doesn't show the face clearly but is still appealing as photography, and this is the method I came up with. So when I commit to understanding the other person, I think this leads to new ways of taking photographs.