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"To me, the racetrack at dawn conjures up images
of the savanna."
Since going freelance, I've worked constantly and have had over 350 photo collections
published. In the past year, though, I've had some free time to pursue other
interests, one of which is photographing Ban-ei draft horse racing in Hokkaido.
I visited the region about 30 times in a single year, and took as many as 25,000
shots. Initially, I went to see the races for fun after someone recommended them.
But I was so impressed by what I saw that I asked the person in charge of PR
at the racetrack if I could take photos. He immediately agreed, and I've been
going back ever since.
At the track, nobody knows who I am. Usually when I work, I'm surrounded by familiar
faces, which kind of makes things easier. But at Obihiro, where the races are
held, my background, career, and everything about me are completely unknown.
That inspired me to start from scratch, an approach that, paradoxically, turned
out to be a refreshingly enjoyable experience. To be recognized by people who
don't know me, I have to express myself entirely through my work. Which is why
I decided to tackle the subject of Ban-ei horse racing as a complete unknown.
I'm basically a very selfish, impatient person. The strange thing about the track
is that even a person like me is able to stay in one place for a whole day, entirely
alone, without all the regular conveniences of daily life. Horses do indeed have
the power to change people. The first time I got close to them, I discovered
just how gentle they are. If you move your face close to theirs and say something,
they are sure to respond, as if they can understand what you're saying. Actually,
I don't like pets or animals in general, and I can't stand the way they smell.
But this doesn't apply to horses. They are different, something special.
At the racetrack, I get up at four in the morning to start shooting early, so
I can capture sights like the flush of dawn and the golden glow of the sunrise.
Looking through the camera, rather than simply taking shots of horses, the scene
seems to conjure up images of magnificent animals roaming the savanna.
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