|
The Chichibu region, located on the western edge of Saitama Prefecture about an hour and a half from Tokyo on the Seibu-Ikebukuro Line, is a basin surrounded by mountains on three sides. In the past, the region maintained communication with the outside world through many mountain passes.
There are said to be as many as 300 or 400 festivals held annually in the Chichibu area, ranging from the Chichibu Night Festival, which attracts 200,000 to 300,000 spectators, to small festivals held in farmhouses' backyards where only local residents gather.
The large number of temples and shrines, including the 34 sacred places of worship, the optimism of the Chichibu people, and the temporary relief from the hard work of farming on the few flat plains, probably led to the creation of many "Hare" days, or festivals. On these festival days, many people come out to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of life in towns and villages that are usually deserted.
My photography in Chichibu began in 1973 when I entered a photography school, and for my graduation project two years later, I chose Chichibu, my birthplace, as the theme. Since then, he has visited Chichibu more than 150 times.
The works in this exhibition are snapshots of Chichibu, mainly on festival days, taken between 1988 and 2015.
Akifumi Tanaka
Works on display: 27 black-and-white 11 x 14-inch photographs
|
