At the Minamisanriku 311 Memorial, there is an exhibition in the museum that asks you to think about what you would do if you were there on March 11th, and what you would need to do to protect your own life. I'm here.
Panels summarizing the reality of the disaster in Minamisanriku, videos of victims' testimonies, and learning programs created based on these are all things that can only be seen at this town's folklore museum. This photo exhibition is one of them.
Masashi Asada, a photographer, created a collection of works from 2013 to 2021 with the townspeople of Minamisanriku.
Many people stop to see the photos, which were taken while exchanging ideas with the townspeople immediately after the disaster, and convey the strength and cheerfulness of the townspeople who have been promoting reconstruction together with their smiles.
<Profile of Mr. Masashi Asada> ——————————————– ———-
photographer. Born in 1979 in Mie Prefecture.
After graduating from the Graduate School of Photography and Imaging College of Japan, became independent after working as a studio assistant.
In 2009, he won the 34th Kimura Ihei Photography Award for his photo book "Asada Family" (published by Akaakasha in 2008).
In 2010, he held his first large-scale solo exhibition, “Tsu Family Land Masashi Asada Photo Exhibition” at the Mie Prefectural Museum of Art. In 2022, "Somebody's Best Album" was held at Art Tower Mito. He has actively exhibited his works in solo exhibitions and art projects in Japan and overseas, including Parco Gallery, Mori Art Museum, Taikichi Irie Memorial Nara City Museum of Photography, Hong Kong International Photography Festival, Dogo Onsenart 2018, Hachinohe City Museum of Art, Art Tower Mito, etc. ing.
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The event "Let's talk about Minamisanriku together with the photographer Masashi Asada" was held at the Minamisanriku 311 Memorial.
This time, we will tell you about the second day of the event held on Saturday, March 18th.
The people who gathered at the venue that day were the townspeople, including the people who actually appeared in the photos.
First, Ms. Yumi Yoshikawa, who acted as the coordinator of the event ("Minamisanriku Minna de Minamisanriku" project director), introduced the story of the first memorial ceremony after the earthquake, when Ms. Asada became involved in Minamisanriku. rice field.
From the shooting at the memorial ceremony to today, I have visited the town more than 10 times. It is said that he took pictures while meeting various townspeople there.
Mr. Yoshikawa had a connection with Minamisanriku Town even before the earthquake. When he came to the town with relief supplies immediately after the disaster, he was shocked to see that many of the townspeople welcomed Mr. Yoshikawa with a smile at the evacuation center, despite the scale of the damage caused by the earthquake. . Mr. Yoshikawa was surprised by the smiles and bright smiles of the townspeople, but he also felt that he must have lost something important. The townspeople who are undeterred and facing the front even in the midst of this disaster should be preserved. Mr. Yoshikawa felt that way and thought that Mr. Asada would be the only person to ask for this shoot, so he immediately consulted with Mr. Asada.
Originally from Tsu City, Mie Prefecture, Mr. Asada visited Minamisanriku-cho for the first time after receiving advice from Mr. Yoshikawa. Since then, I have visited more than 10 times. Mr. Asada himself said that the opportunity to look back on the works he has shot with the people who became models is precious, and he said that he was looking forward to this time.
After the greetings of the two, the talk started immediately while looking at the photos.
The first is a photo taken on board with two fishermen. Look at the photos of the actual work and the photos of the state during shooting in order.
“My photographs are categorized as staged photographs.” Instead of simply cutting out what is visible, he focuses on the positions of people and the angles of their faces, and sometimes uses various props to capture time. Mr. Asada says that it is possible to shoot the fun of the people in the picture even though it is slow.
In the photo of the Togura District Tabunoki Fishery Cooperative Direct Sales Office, which is now gone, a participant at the venue said, "At that time, it was the first direct sales office of the Miyagi Prefecture Fishery Cooperative." And in the photo of the Iriya district Nukumori Koubou, which Mr. Asada said was impressive because it felt like he was in Takarazuka, he commented, "I was embarrassed at the time, but looking at it now, I was so young." Mr. Asada says that when he takes photographs, he can somehow convey the relationships between the subjects. "That's right, I'm always laughing as I work," said a staff member who has been involved since then, and the venue was filled with smiles.
And for the talk, a photo of the members of the Togura Oyster Production Committee, taken at Hatenya Fishing Port in the Togura district.
Oysters in the Togura district (Tokurakko oysters) have acquired an international certification called ASC certification, and it seems that this photo was taken when the acquisition was confirmed. However, on the day of shooting, there was a typhoon. It seems that the fishermen gathered and took pictures despite the fact that they were doing disaster recovery off the coast.
One of them said, “This photo is really full of miracles. In other words, the fact that his best friend, who passed away after the photo was taken, is in the photo, and that the photo is being used in a variety of places, including television, is what makes him happy. .
Also, there are many shots of the big catch flag, but most of them hang down without the wind, so it is rare to see everyone's faces. More than 30 fishermen are photographed in this work, but the faces of all of them can be clearly seen along with the big catch flags. Mr. Asada nodded with a smile that this was a kamikaze.
In the photos taken with the members of the Togura area's Gyozan-ryu Mitobe Shikashi Odori, they talked about how they were particular about the production while looking at the making-of photos. It is said that he tried various things, such as having everyone standing and lining up side by side, having the president join the group in addition to the members of the dancers, and sitting in the front.
A person who was a junior high school student at the time of the disaster and has been active in the Mitobe Shishiodori for many years says that it is good to see everyone from elementary school students to older veterans smiling together. “Traditional performing arts are inherited by people of all ages working together, and it is precisely because of this that the underlying strength of reconstruction is different,” says Mr. Yoshikawa, nodding deeply. I was.
This photo project was started to preserve the image of the people of Minamisanriku, who have been moving forward without being discouraged while aiming to recover from the Great East Japan Earthquake.
The smile in the photo is real, but there must have been a lot of crying, worrying, and really suffering behind it. Even so, Mr. Yoshikawa says that he was able to move forward step by step without forgetting to smile, and that there is a heartfelt respect there.
Finally, Mr. Asada said that he learned a lot about himself by visiting Minamisanriku every time he filmed and meeting people from various communities. “The people of Minamisanriku really taught me that when I see people who are not my family and who are not my age working on something together, that kind of thing is really necessary for survival. I feel like."
In an unpredictable world, such as the spread of the new coronavirus and the prediction of the Nankai Trough earthquake, I want to make use of what I learned in Minamisanriku, and I want to take pictures with everyone in Minamisanriku again. Mr. Asada talked about such thoughts at the end of the event.
12 years since the Great East Japan Earthquake. While some memories are fading, the things left as photographs will not change no matter how much time passes. I feel that we should pass on the fact that we have risen from the earthquake and moved forward. I believe that the collection of works created by Mr. Asada and the townspeople of Minamisanriku, "Minna de Minamisanriku," will be able to convey this to the future.
At this talk event, everyone in the town sometimes smiled and sometimes looked serious as they remembered the old days, nodding their heads and talking. We are looking forward to seeing you again someday with a smile while looking at the photos with everyone who participated.
Masashi Asada and the townspeople of Minamisanriku produced 19 excerpts from the photo collection Minamisanriku, which is currently on display at the Minnasanriku 311 Memorial Minna no Hiroba. We hope that visitors will be able to see the smiles of the people of Minamisanriku while changing some of the exhibits.
<Event Overview>————————————————- —————–
Date: 1st/March 17th (Fri) 18:00-19:30 2nd/March 18th (Sat) 13:30-15:00
Venue: 1st / Minamisanriku 311 Memorial Learning Theater 2nd / Minamisanriku Portal Center Guest: Masashi Asada (photographer)
Coordinator: Yumi Yoshikawa ("Minamisanriku together" project coordinator)
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