11 years after tsunami, Japanese photographers attempt to turn the tide

The earthquake that struck below the North Pacific Ocean, 130 km east of Sendai, the largest city in the Tohoku region in Honshu on March 11, 2011, was the strongest in the recorded history of Japan. The earthquake caused a tsunami, which produced waves up to 132 feet high. A report that appeared in the National Geographic claimed more than 4,50,000 people were rendered homeless and at least 15,500 people died. The tsunami also resulted in the meltdown of three nuclear reactors at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, releasing toxic, radioactive materials into the environment and forcing people to evacuate their homes and leave behind businesses to reach safe havens.

A touring exhibition of photographs of Tohoku to mark the first anniversary of the earthquake was held in 2012 in Japan. After touring various towns and cities in the world, the exhibition is now being held at the Durbar Hall in Kerala’s Ernakulam. What is unusual about this exhibition is that it does not attempt to document the damage or recovery, and instead uses photography to show the natural and cultural beauty of Tohoku and its people.

It is composed of the work of nine photographers and one photographers’ group who belong to different generations and varying stylistic tendencies but are all from Tohoku. Photographs taken in the 1940s are shown alongside images of the present. By presenting the viewpoints of highly individualistic photographers, who represent the past, present, and future, the exhibition aims to introduce many fascinating aspects of Tohoku to the people of the world, according to the organisers of the event.

Titled, TOHOKU – Through the Eyes of Japanese Photographers, the exhibition has been curated by Kotaro Iizawa, a leading photo critic based in Japan. Tohoku is the northeastern section of Honshu, the largest island in the Japanese Archipelago. It is divided into six prefectures – Aomori, Iwate, Akita, Yamagata, Miyagi, and Fukushima.

Although the region has a rather cold climate, it is blessed with a beautiful natural environment composed of seas, mountains, rivers, and forests. It is also known as a centre of the Jomon culture, which was developed by some of the first people living in Japan. Known for the flame-like forms of its pottery, this culture flourished in Tohoku between 15,000 and 3,000 years ago. “When the centre of political power and culture shifted to Nara and Kyoto in western Japan, Tohoku was placed under the rule of the central government and regarded as a backward and primitive region, but this marginal area maintained a vital spiritual culture that preserved the Jomon spirit,” said a release from the Japan Foundation.

Jomon culture is the deepest stratum of traditional Japanese culture, which gradually seems to be fading away, but the legacy of Jomon still lives and breathes in Tohoku. There are more than 123 photographs displayed as part of the show. Even though this exhibition was curated to mark the first anniversary of the earthquake that shook Japan in 2011, the curator Kotaro Iizawa decided not to go after the devastation and resurrection, which is part of history now.

“He rather decided to document the heritage, tradition and primal landscape of the place and also the people. It is through the lens eyes of photographers from different generations and genres that the place evolves before us in this exhibition, which is well curated in every manner. This way it acts as a pointer to its future too,” Murali Cheeroth, renowned visual artist and chairperson of the Kerala Lalithakala Akademi, told The Federal. “The exhibition also presents the style of various highly individualistic photographers, which in turn unravels many fascinating things about the place, arousing our curiosity and academic interest,” he added.

Tohoku is the region where the ancient Jomon culture still exists. What attracts people to the place is what the photographs are trying to answer. “The exhibition is significant as it provides a platform for cultural exchanges between Japan and India,” said Murali. The works of nine photographers such as Teisuke Chiba (1917–65), Ichiro Kojima (1924 -64), Hideo Haga (1921-), Masatoshi Naito (1938-), Hiroshi Oshima (1944-), Naoya Hatakeyama (1958), Meiki Lin (1969-), Masaru Tatsuki (1974-), Sendai Collection, Nao Tsuda (1976-) are being exhibited.

Teisuke Chiba and Ichiro Kojima photographed Tohoku in the 1950s and 1960s. Hideo Haga, Masatoshi Naito, and Masaru Tatsuki have recorded festivals and folk religious rites throughout the region. Hiroshi Oshima and Naoya Hatakeyama have combined their personal histories with the landscapes of their home regions. Meiki Rin turned his camera toward the natural environment. Nao Tsuda searched for the source of the Japanese spirit in relics and artefacts of the Jomon period. A group of photographers led by Toru Ito have created the Sendai Collection, a series of photographs of anonymous scenes in Sendai.

The exhibition is being conducted as part of the celebrations of Kerala Lalithakala Akademi completing 60 years and the 70th anniversary of Japan Foundation in India, in association with Japan Foundation, India and Srishti Manipal Institute of Art, Design and technology, Bengaluru. “The Kerala Lalithakala Akademi has been organising various programmes ever since its inception in 1962. Now, we are into the 60th year of the Akademi, which represents Kerala’s visual art, which has a global reputation and stature. At the same time, we did not have much global exposure here as far as exhibiting the art works from other parts of the world is concerned. So we wanted to bring nationally and internationally reputed works here for the art lovers as well as the students,” said Murali.

From apparel to martial arts, Kerala has always had a relation with Japan, which is being expanded to the horizon of art and culture as well with this show. “Once we are able to overcome the limitation of our art galleries, we are planning to organise more such programmes here and also elevating the Akademi as an establishment of national repute,” he added. A two-day symposium titled, The Age of the Photograph 2022, will be held at the Durbar Hall on July 15 and July 16 as part of the event in which photographers, documentary filmmakers and artists will participate.