Growing up in Japan, I always wanted to travel—to see the world and experience what it would be like to live in the West. When I was twenty-seven, I moved to New York and started documenting cultures other than my own—the Americas and other parts of the world.
As years go by and I’ve gotten older, my interests have shifted to the culture I am most familiar with—my home, Japan. This series of photographs is part of my process of returning to my roots and rediscovering where I came from—especially the traditions that have informed my culture. Through my mother’s illness and passing, I reconnected with Izumo province which is my ancestor’s resting place and home to many rituals and mythologies. There, the journey eventually led me to the eastern part of Izumo, to the small, sacred port town of Mihonoseki and the ancient Miho Shrine.
The people of Mihonoseki have long cherished and been devoted to their gods, and lived with what they see as the blessing of the sea for hundreds of years. Rituals are important in their lives and are passed down from generation to generation. I documented one of the most important, the Aofushigaki ritual, in which a famous episode from the Kojiki mythology written 1,300 years ago is re-enacted, involving the death and rebirth of a god. The people of Mihonoseki, who dedicate their lives to what they deeply believe in, remind me of my mother.
In Izumo, I experience and view these intimately important yet very remote events and rituals from my vantage point as an immigrant in America who cannot help but find meaning in the Sakura (cherry blossoms) as a timeless metaphor for the acceptance of the transience of all life. As a photographer, this image beckons me to create and discover the meaning of beauty in the course of our short lives.
Sakura (cherry blossoms) blooming under the night sky at the peak of Sakura season in my hometown of Fukuoka.
The night before the Aofushigaki Ritual at Miho Shrine. The man responsible for the lantern touch keeps the fire alive during the ceremony.
Night scene at Miho Shrine.
Ms. Yanai worships at the Aofushigaki Ritual every year.
Scene from the “Yoi-Matsuri” ceremony on the night before the Aofushigaki ritual.
Kannushi (Shinto priest) hold the Yoi-Matsuri ceremony the night before the Aofushigaki Ritual.
Zouri sandals lined up inside the shrine.
Overlooking the Miho Bay in Mihonoseki. In the words of Japan’s first Nobel laureate, Hideki Yukawa “Mihonoseki is one of the few places where you can find the roots of the Japanese soul.”
Sasara boy in the Aofushigaki Ritual.
Surrounded by the rich forest of the Shimane Peninsula and overlooking Miho Bay, Miho Shrine is the head of more than 3,000 dedicated to Ebisu, divinity of the sea, merchants and music. This small town of Mihonoseki is home to many rituals. Two of the most important ones are based on stories in the Kojiki (“Record of Ancient Matters”), the oldest existing record of Japanese mythology.
Mt. Daisen (大山), a sacred mountain and a residence of Shinto deities, seen across Miho Bay.
Ujiko people during the Aofushigaki Ritual. Ujiko are dedicated to the belief in and worship of the shrine and they play a crucial part in the rituals at Miho Shrine. This status has been passed down through the generations for hundreds of years.
“Ondo” (left) and “Tomodo” (right) girls sit in front of the altar during the Aofushigaki Ritual.
Reflection on a koi pond. Koi fish symbolize good fortune.
Tomodo girl in the morning of the Ritual.
Sakura seen at the Miho Shrine.
Mr. Fukuma is one of the Ujiko (氏子) people and also an owner of Fukuma-kan, a traditional Japanese style ryokan inn which has been in business since 1717.
Sun setting over Lake Shinji (宍道湖) in Matsue, Izumo province. Matsue is my father’s hometown, my ancestors’ resting place and the site of many rituals.
The night before the Aofushigaki Ritual at Miho Shrine. A Kannushi (Shinto priest) watches the preparation of the ritual.
For the Japanese, Sakura is an enduring expression of life, death and renewal. It is a timeless metaphor for the acceptance of the transience of all life.
