TAB Event - Koichi Ishida "A Story of Yamahida Villages

Koichi Ishida "A Story of Yamahida Villages - Kitakami 1963-73"

This event has ended.
At Ginza Nikon Salon
Media: Photography

Ishida first learnt about Akka villages in the northern part of the Kitakami mountain range in Iwate prefecture through a newspaper article he read as a student, in 1963. Japan at the time was undergoing a period of rapid economic growth in the run-up to the Olympics, and Akka villages, the "Tibet of Japan," was a topic of fervent discussion in the media as a contrast to the urban development of Tokyo.

Akka villages at the time had neither electricity nor buses, and were ranked "grade 5 backwaters." When the sun set, oil lamps were lit, and residents sat down to frugal dinners of millet, miso soup and pickled vegetables in the half-lit gloom. Rice cultivation was all but impossible in the mountainous regions, so villagers grew millet and vegetables, leading a simple life of subsistence.

Observing this way of life led Ishida to think about the origins of these Japanese farming communities. Living here meant close bonds between neighboring villagers, a polished routine and order, and harmonious relationships between people. Fascinated by these societal links, Ishida visited two akka villages in the Kitakami mountains, Yamagata and Yaehata, over a period of 10 years, deepening his knowledge of the social network of these communities.

This exhibition features works in which Ishida considers the meaning of these "bonds" that emerged between himself and the villagers he befriended. 50 black and white photos are on display.