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"As my lifework, I have two major themes — sakura (cherry trees) and 'photographic watercolors."
When I first started working at Mr. Ootake's studio, I mostly answered the phone and ran errands. Then one day, he handed me a camera and told me to go out and shoot whatever I liked. Later, when I showed him the photos I had taken, he said, "You've got a good eye. Now it's time to test your skills in real life," and gave me my first assignment. I had only worked as an assistant for two years at the time, and I still remember how excited I was to be put in charge of a job. I was also worried, though, and I can remember waking up in the middle of the night because I dreamed that none of the pictures had turned out.
In 1987, after five years at Mr. Ootake's studio, I set out on my own as a freelance photographer. I like a challenge, so I made it a point to go my own way, shooting editorial material only for publishers who were unconnected with Mr. Ootake's studio. Gradually over time — helped by jobs covering the fashion shows in Paris and Milan and my own love of travel — I found myself getting more and more overseas assignments.
Separate from my commissioned work, there are also two themes that I pursue as my lifework. One, focusing on cherry trees, I call SAKURA. The other, which I call DIMENSIONS, consists of "photographic watercolors" that are created by hand-painting images with color.
The SAKURA series was shown at an exhibition in Paris last year (2007). For that, I also created a series of mirror images in which half of the image was basically rendered in monochrome, with just a little color added by hand. In the center, where the mirrored images met, the shape of a bodhisattva would sometimes appear in the most mystical way. Although symmetrical mirror images often put viewers off, I deliberately wanted to use the technique creatively.
The photos shown here, two of which are from the SAKURA series, were all taken with an Olympus E-3. In the digitally created mirror image entitled "Between the Sakura," a mystical shape seems to hover at the center of the frame. I've always liked cherry trees because I sense a certain life force, or passion, in them, and a certain feminine sensibility in the way they continue to flower as they age. It is this passionate aspect of their nature that I try to express in my SAKURA series.
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