SOLEMNLEY EXISTING LANDSCAPES

Solemnly Existing Landscapes

In the late 1970s, when it was believed that the outbreak of Minamata disease had ended, Akutagawa began visiting Minamata. Many photographs of the victims were captured during the worst period of the disease. He wondered what he could do, and came up with an idea. By conveying the appeal of what remained, he could convey the magnitude of what had been lost. This became the title of his photo book, “Solemnly Existing Landscapes.” I hope that you will gain a sense of what Minamata disease was from his photographs.

Jin AKUTAGAWA

A photographer living in Miyazaki, Japan. He stayed in Minamata for two years from December 1978, and published a photo book “Minamata, Solemnly Existing Landscapes” in 1980. In recent years, he has traveled around Japan, covering life in farming and fishing villages. His coverage of Minamata continues to this day. I like Akutagawa’s photographs of people who seem to be trying to say something. I also like his photographs of everyday landscapes that seem to show traces of something that has disappeared. Akutagawa said that he did not want to place captions on his photographs for this exhibition because he wanted visitors to see only the photographs carefully. I was the one who added the explanations.

“Minamata Photographers’ Eyes” Project

A project by nine photographers to collectively preserve over 200,000 original Minamata disease-related photographic films, original prints, digital data, and interview notes taken since 1960. The aim of the project is to preserve these photographs as a “legacy of mankind” for future generations. The members are Jin Akutagawa (Representative), Aileen M. Smith, Takeshi Ishikawa, Hideo Kitaoka, Shisei Kuwabara, Kazuyoshi Koshiba, Hiromi Shiota, Fumiko Tanaka, and Shigemi Miyamoto. The Executive Director is Toshio Yoshinaga.