Approximately 10 years ago, I had an accident that led me to spend my days questioning what was important to me. Every day, seemingly minor events or trivial feelings turned into something irreplaceable. I had many opportunities to interact with children daily and wondered, “What do today’s children value?” This led me to start a series of portraits in which I took pictures while engaging in a dialogue about what is important to them (takaramono, treasure in Japanese).
In 2015, through the introduction of friends and acquaintances, I had the opportunity to visit the children (I had to put the project on hold for a while due to the COVID-19 pandemic but resumed it in Japan in 2023). Even within the same generation, the environment surrounding them varies; religious beliefs, political differences, and especially economic disparities have a significant impact on them. Young children usually appreciate trivial things in their everyday lives that are present right in front of them. This is why the answer to the question “What is your takaramono (treasure)?” appeared to be directly related to the children’s daily environment.
Carla lives in a luxury apartment in Paris, France, and her “favorite thing” changes every day. On the day that I met her, it was chocolate. She mindlessly devoured an array of chocolates. Meanwhile, Shamoon, who lives in Musharraf, a slum in southern Pakistan, also loves chocolates. Children’s answers to this question are often something from among their possessions. However, Shamoon answered from his memory at the tender age of five years. He shared that he wanted to become a soldier at the earliest so that he could join the army and study. These children struggle to earn their daily income and have limited access to education. The “chocolate” is the same, but the meaning is completely different.
I was also shocked to learn that children receiving support from NPOs in Tanzania, Africa do not understand the concept of takaramono (treasure items) because they do not have any possessions that they can call their own.
In this complex society, it is becoming increasingly difficult to ascertain the connection between reality and our dreams and hopes. Some encounters made me reflect on the question, “What is true happiness?” Regardless of the time of the year, these people stand firmly on their feet and live in their homes. Each photograph tells a story, and there are as many stories as there were encounters. I want to remember that the world is made up of the accumulation of these stories.
Why did you choose to create a three-dimensional Rubik’s Cube-like structure for this exhibition of photographs of children’s takaramono?
Takaramono is an ongoing project that is an essential component of my work, but initially, I was only photographing children in Japan. The exhibition “Takaramono 123” was held at Roppongi Hills UMU (Tokyo), ON READING (Nagoya), and Athens Gallery (Osaka) in 2011, and the style of the exhibition was different from that of the current one, with 123 children’s photographs displayed. In 2015, I began photographing children abroad, as I do now.
I have visited nine countries to date: France, Hawaii, China, Tanzania, the Philippines, Laos, Sweden, Bhutan, and Pakistan. I request my acquaintances and NPOs working in these areas to introduce me to the people in local elementary schools, kindergartens, and communities who are willing to cooperate with me. For example, there is an underprivileged community on the island of Zanzibar in Tanzania where the parents are not educated; therefore, they prefer that their children work rather than attend school. The schools receive school lunch support from Japanese companies and NPOs; for this reason, parents allow their children to go to school as long as they receive school lunches. Many children in such regions do not have even a single stuffed animal or toy. When I asked them, “What is your takaramono (treasure)?” I realized that they didn’t know the meaning of this word. So, I asked, “What do you like to do?” A child replied, “Writing.” I noticed that he had a notebook and pencil.
When I visited an underprivileged community in the Philippines, a child told me that he was a takaramono. The child who answered “writing” on the island of Zanzibar is unaware of his environment and does not yet know how to compare himself with others because the entire region is poor. However, the Filipino child knew that his neighborhood was full of wealthy people and that he was not one of them. Therefore, he responded that he considered himself a treasure. I guess it meant that he wanted to become successful someday.
These differences are evident even within the same region that is considered impoverished, and the takaramono of children in these areas is different from that of the children in Japan, France, Sweden, Hawaii, and China. (You can read more about the photoshoot in the note section.)
The values of these children living in the same era on the same planet do not intersect. To express these values, I wanted to “mix” rather than “line them up,” and I thought that the shape of a Rubik’s Cube, which can be rotated in multiple directions, would be appropriate.
My participation in the Kyoto International Photography Festival (KYOTOGRAPHIE) “KG+Special 2023” through my project “100 takaramono” provided the impetus for this approach toward my current exhibition. For this year’s “Be＊hive exhibition,” the frame was replaced with a soft-edged wooden frame to match the theme of “hope” and the ambiance of the venue.
In this exhibition, a photo of two girls holding hands is used as the key visual, which is incorporated into the tapestry at the entrance and flyers. What is the story behind this picture?
The girl on the left is Miyuri, a half-Japanese girl living on the island of Zanzibar in the United Republic of Tanzania. Her takaramono is her best friend, Safana. Safana is a local; however, she belongs to a wealthy family who can afford to send her to an international school. They posed as if they had just popped out of a magazine.
The children in your photographs are living in diverse environments and have different takaramono and ways of keeping their hope alive. The theme of this exhibition is “hope.” What do you think is the meaning of “children and hope”?
I don’t have any answers to this question. I mean, I don’t want to try to find a single answer. I hope that people will view my photographs to understand the meaning of various “types of hope.”
The ban on television broadcasting in Bhutan was lifted in 1999. This was at the same time as the Internet.
(ブータンでテレビ放送が解禁されたのは1999年。インターネットと同時だった。)
I want to be a math teacher.
I like class room.
算数の先生になりたい。
クラスルームが好き。
My dad made me a Bardak costume.
パパが作ってくれた
バーダックのコスチューム。
I want to be a genius.
天才になりたい。
