Press Release2023
The 39th Higashikawa Awards
The Town of Photography
Culture Capital of Photography
Information

Higashikawa International Photography Festival Office
Mayor : Shin Kikuchi

HIGASHIKAWA, KAMIKAWA-GUN, HOKKAIDO**********************************************************************<Address>

HIGASHIKAWA PUBLIC

OFFICE

Organizers: Keisuke Takeda, Hiroko Yoshizato
1-16-1, Higashimachi, Higashikawa, Hokkaido 071-1492 Japan
TEL. +81 166 82 2111 / FAX. +81 166 82 4704
http://photo-town.jp/ E-mail: photo@town.higashikawa.lg.jp

The 39th Higashikawa Award Winners◆The Overseas Photographer Award：Astrid JAHNSEN (Peru)
For her works such as “On Your Knees” (2017), “Backdrop” (2018) and“The Lost Gaze” (2019～).

◆The Domestic Photographer Award：HARA Mikiko
For her photo book “Small Myths” (Chose Commune, 2022)◆The New Photographer Award：FUJIOKA Aya
For her exhibitions, “New Stories” (Irie Taikichi Memorial Museum of
Photography

Nara

city,

2022)

and

“Countermeasures

AgainstAwkward

Discourses : From the Perspective of Third Wave Feminism” (21st Century Museumof Contemporary Art, Kanazawa) and her recent diversified activities.

◆The Special Photographer Award：ISHIKAWA Naoki
For his photobooks, “SAKHALIN” (amana,2015) and “Shiretoko

Peninsula” (Hokkaido Shimbun Press,2017) and his series of project “Shashin Zero
Banchi, Shiretoko” since 2016.

◆The Hidano Kazuemon Award：HIROTA Naotaka
For his activities of taking photos of the railways closely connected to the
local people, nature and culture.

Commentary on the Selection of the 39th Higashikawa Photography Awards
UENO Osamu
Higashikawa Photography Award Jury Committee

Selection of the 39th Town of Photography Higashikawa Awards was carried out
on February 22, 2023. Those nominated this year include 51 photographers for theDomestic Photographer Award, 59 for the New Photographer Award, 23 for the Special
Photographer Award, 45 for the Hidano Kazuuemon Award, and 12 for the Overseas
Photographer Award. As with previous years, the morning was spent carefully looking at
photobooks and resources, while the winners of the five awards were selected in theafternoon from a total of 171 artists. This year, while two of the eight jury members wereabsent, their votes were taken in advance and were reflected in the judging process.
The Domestic Photographer Award was narrowed down to five at the final stage,
and after repeated discussions and voting, Mikiko HARA was selected by a narrow margin.
Ms. HARA's work, in which she devotes herself to snapshots and nurtures the moment,
may at first seem quiet and orthodox, but as we repeatedly look over and discuss her
photobook “Small Myths”, the power of her work gradually increased until it felt likeoverflowing. Ms. HARA is a photographer who has been attracting attention in the judging
process every year despite her lack of work. One can say the power of her work, which
continues to spread slowly like a ripple, has come to fruition with this award.
The finalists for the New Photographer Award were Maya AKASHIKA, Ryuichi
ISHIKAWA, Motonari TAGAWA, Nao NAKAI, Sohei NISHINO, and Aya FUJIOKA but at
the final stage, only Ryuichi ISHIKAWA and Aya FUJIOKA remained. Even after repeatedvoting and debates, the votes remained split evenly. After taking a break and proceedingwith the review again, Aya FUJIOKA was selected. In the case of FUJIOKA, who has
continued to deepen her thinking while honestly questioning her own work through the useof social media, as well as solo exhibitions and special exhibitions at museums and galleries
and publications, it can be said that this became the decisive factor during the discussion
process.

The Special Artist Award was given to Naoki ISHIKAWA for his works that
explore northern Japan such as “SAKHALIN” and “Shiretoko Peninsula”, as well as
photography exhibitions, workshops, and talks related to the Shashin Zeo Banchi

Shiretoko project. ISHIKAWA was also the recipient of the 25th Photo Town Higashikawa
Award for New Photographers, known as a photographer who continues to capture
everyday life from all over the world with his unparalleled activities. This selection also
sheds light on the rare balance between staying on the move and keeping your feet on the
ground.
The Hidano Kazuuemon Prize was awarded to Naotaka HIROTA, a pioneer ofmodern railway photography who has continued to express the appeal of railways frommultiple perspectives. Railways in Japan are deeply related to the concept of regions. The
Hidano Kazuuemon Award is awarded to "those who have continued to photograph local
people, nature, culture, etc. for many years and are recognized for their contribution to thecommunity. " If you look at the breadth of railway photography that Mr. HIROTA embodies,
he seems to be a perfect match with the conditions of the award. I am delighted that the
Hidanno Kazuuemon Award, which was established in 2010, has a new chapter.
After explanation based on careful survey by Hiroshi SUGANUMA, judging of
the Overseas Photographer Award took place and eventually the award was given to
Astrid JAHNSEN from Peru. Jansen's method of carefully reviewing encyclopedias,newspapers, magazines, albums, etc., and photographing them in order to reaffirm the useof gender-biased images asks very contemporary questions. Her series of works that
expose the ideology behind various discourses and transform memories into criticism arehighly acclaimed.
This year marks the third year that the judges wore masks during the
COVID-19 pandemic. Nonetheless, by mid-March, wearing masks became an individual
decision, and in early May, after Golden Week, the position of the new coronavirus will beshifted to category 5 under the Infectious Diseases Law. At the Higashikawa International
Photo Festival, which will be held in the summer, measures against infectious diseases
will be greatly relaxed, and events will be held like in the past. Higashikawa believes
cultural activities are neither non-essential nor non-urgent, and the Higashikawa Prizeand the Higashikawa International Photo Festival have continued even in the midst of thepandemic. I would like to once again express my deep gratitude to the people ofHigashikawa for their great efforts and empathy in their daily lives.

The Jury Committee of the 39th Higashikawa Photography Awards
Anju <Photographer> -------------------------------------------------------------36th –UENO Osamu <Photo Critic>---------------------------------------------------31st–
KAMIYAMA Ryoko <Curator, Japanese postwar art history >---------37th―
KITANO Ken <Photographer>---------------------------------------------------33rd–
KURAISHI Shino <Photo Critic, Poet>----------------------------------------35th –SHIBASAKI Tomoka <Novelist>-------------------------------------------------34th –NIWA Harumi <Curator>-----------------------------------------------------------33th –HARA Koichi <Designer>-----------------------------------------------------------34th –The Overseas Photographer Award (Peru)
Astrid JAHNSEN
Lives in Madrid, Spain

Astrid Jahnsen was born in Lima, Peru in 1972. After graduating in
Communication Studies from the University of Lima and working in theadvertising industry, she began to work on photography projects.
Her latest projects focus on how photography can transform history
through the media. She works and travels between Lima, San Francisco andMadrid. Her great-grandfather was an English engineer who came to Peru to build
railroads in the early 1900s. He was an amateur photographer and left behind alarge collection of photographs. She began to re-photograph his albums, making her
feel like she was stealing and transforming his vision. Over time, this practicebecame a way of transforming past narratives.
In 2017 she started the project “On Your Knees”, in which she re-photographed
pornographic material from the 1950s/1960s. It was one of the first projects where
she used this strategy, in which she restructured a discourse presented from a maleperspective. Around the same time, in 2018, she began working with encyclopedias
inherited from her grandmother, spurred by the memory of a conversation from herchildhood about the lack of female representation in books. In this work,
entitled “Backdrop”, she re-photographed women who appeared in the books bychance, without any intention by the photographer and without them posing forhim.
For the 2019 project “Lost Gaze”, she used her grandmother's collection ofart books. This time, she tried to switch from the perspective of theportraitist to that of the women who are portrayed. The idea, impossible torealise, was to recover the perception that the women had of themselves. The
project speaks about the importance for women to stop living according to the
expectations of the male gaze.

<Artist Statements>

I work sharing what photography teaches me. Stopping to look at space
and time is more than the confirmation of an instant in an image; it is a test of
consciousness. There is a magic in each photograph in terms of the individual
glance that allows us to stop and see ourselves. This creative process is
individualistic but at the same time accessible, allowing us to communicate, setting
aside differences. Each photo, each personal perspective is a contribution to theuniversal truth: a truth where we all speak the same language.
It’s difficult to discover what photography conceals: the complexity of space
and time goes beyond the image. I think that understanding how we look at thingsin terms of others broadens our perspectives and gives us a voice, but at times I getlost in loneliness. I feel it's like being on a spaceship discovering things without
having anyone to share them with.
Receiving this award is like listening to that voice on the other side, the onethat feels moved. It’s a voice that, coming from a universe very different from mine,from a culture so sophisticated and valued, feels even more special.
Thank you for this important recognition, thank you for listening andcelebrating my work. Winning the The Overseas Photographer Award this year andbeing part of the history of this recognition is a great honor for me.
Astrid Jahnsen

The Domestic Photographer Award
HARA Mikiko
Lives in Kanagawa Prefecture

Born in Toyama in 1967. Graduated from the Faculty of Literature of
Keio University in 1990. Graduated from Tokyo College of Photography, graduate
course in 1996. Taking street snapshots on school assignment as a start, she often
employs the shooting method called no finder without using a viewfinder,
consistently capturing daily lives in her original style.
Saying “I try to capture the scenes (she happens to be at) without altering
anything” and “leave a lot to cameras”, she takes photographs of people, scenes andthings-we often see in our daily lives carrying an Ikonta, film camera made inGermany in the 1930s, whilst raising three children. Her viewpoint is more of thatof a person rooted in everyday life rather than as a photographer, but they are all
elusive, hard to be defined. She says “I recall someone saying Photography gives
birth to questions, I always have that feeling of Zen dialogue”. The snapshots are
unique in that you can feel the preciousness and affection towards everyday life.
Held her first solo exhibition “Is As It “(Gallery LE DECO, 1996) and won the 13th
excellence award, New Cosmos of Photography and was selected for the 8th
Hitotsubo Photography Exhibition. Held a solo exhibition “Blind Letter”(Cohen
Amador Gallery, New York, 2007) and garnered attention and participated in afour-person exhibition “In Focus: Tokyo” alongside Nagano Shigeichi, Moriyama
Daido and Seto Masato (Getty Museum, Los Angeles, 2014).

In Japan, she

presented many recent works in a group exhibition “The Ongoing Dialogue”(Yokohama Civic Art Gallery, 1919) as well as solo and group exhibitions abroad.
Her photography books include “Hysteric Thirteen: Hara Mikiko” (HystericGlamour, 2005), “These are Days” (OSIRIS, 2014) and won the 42nd Kimura Ihei
Award for “Change” in 2017.

Last year, “Small Myths” comprised of thephotographs taken from1996 to 2021 was published from Chose Commune inFrance.

<Artist Statements>

I feel honored as well as proud to receive this prestigious Higashikawa
Domestic Photographer Award. I appreciate it very much.
The awarded “Small Myths” is made up of works mainly from my early career
to the 2000s, and it’s a photobook that gave me an opportunity to look back on myown career.
Up until now, I have used the camera capture the world in a modest way, andbefore I knew it, it became difficult to distinguish between being alive and taking
photographs. Despite my amateurish thinking, the camera still captures images,
and the viewer, making connections with these images, can take something away
based on their own evoked experiences and memories. As a result, I am only an
artist because of this. I would like to extend my sincere respect to everyone who has
supported me, as well as gratitude to my family for being with me.

HARA Mikiko

The New Photographer Award
FUJIOKA Aya
Lives in Hiroshima Prefecture

Born in 1972. Graduated from Nihon University College of Art in 1994.
Encounters while staying in Taiwan after graduation led her to travel around
Europe. Her original intention of traveling for two weeks became a year and a half
visiting countries such as Estonia, Finland, England, France, Slovakia andHungary. Her photography “Comment te dire adieu” based on various encountersand experiences won the Visual Arts Photo Award in 2004. The photography bookof the same title was published from Visual Arts.
After coming home and life became stable, she began to feel frustrated.
She went to New York on the 2007 Japanese Government Scholarship Program of
Agency for Cultural affairs.

Stayed there until 2012 after finishing the program,she released “Life Studies”, “Home Alone” (Dixon Place, NY, 2010) with snapshotsof her experiences and children she had met. Around that time, she published thephotography book “I don’t sleep” (AKAAKA, 2009) which contained photographs ofher daily life when seeing her family in Hiroshima and encapsulating the feelings of
distance she felt with her family members whilst there. Once she started living in
Hiroshima, “I was confronted with daily reminders of Hiroshima whether I liked it
or not”, she faced Hiroshima trying to “make history conscious through everyday lifeand led to the exhibition “Here goes River” (Nikon Salon, Tokyo, Osaka, 2016)
winning her 41st Ina Nobuo Award. She won both the 27th Tadahiko Hayashi
Award and the 43rd Kimura Ihei Award for the photography book of the same title,“Here goes River” (AKAAKA, 2017).
Her main solo exhibitions include“Comment te dire adieu”(Visual Arts
Gallery, Tokyo , Osaka and other places, 2005), “I don’t sleep”(AKAAKA Gallery,
Tokyo, 2009), “Life Studies 2”(Place M, Tokyo, 2014), “Ayako, and her metaphysicalstudy” (Guardian Garden, Tokyo, 2017), “Ayako Ekoda Kibun” (OGUMAGU, Tokyo,
2022), “New Stories” (Irie Taikichi Memorial Museum of Photography Nara City,
Nara, 2022). Her main group exhibitions include “DOMANI 2020” (The National
Art Center, Tokyo, 2020), “Photographed Hiroshima: Everyday Light Image”(Hiroshima Prefectural Art Museum, 2020), “Art, with daily life” (Higashihiroshima
City Museum of Art, 2020), “Countermeasures Against Awkward Discourses: From

the Perspective of Third Wave Feminism” (21st Century Museum of Contemporary
Art, Kanazawa, 2021).

<Artist Statements>
I like to wander around, and since I'm not good at making decisions, I have a
habit of leaving photos I've taken pretentiously without looking at them. In the last
few years during the COVID-19 crisis, I grappled with how to work with oldnegatives lying around. I then became obsessed with exploring my own
unconsciousness that was reflected in the photographs at that time.
There are some things that I've always liked photographing such as children
and flowers. By collecting fixations that even I don't quite understand, I may
unexpectedly understand why I take pictures or who I am. “New Stories”, “Hana no

Yukue”, and “Shiro no Monogatari”, which were born out of this thinking, wereattempts to dismantle narratives that I had built up until now and reweave them ona new axis.
As I strolled through the past looking at old negatives, I realized that I’ve
always approached photography like a student and sighed. It was at that time that I
unexpectedly received the news of the Higashikawa Award for New PhotographerAward, and it really uplifted me. My photos always look back and make myself
doubt my productivity, but knowing people are looking at them keeps me moving
forward. Above all, I’m really happy to think that I will be able to go to Higashikawa
in the summer after receiving the award. Thank you very much.
FUJIOKA Aya

The Special Photographer AwardISHIKAWA Naoki
Lives in Tokyo Prefecture

Born in Tokyo in 1977.

Walked through from Arctic to Antarctica in 2000

and succeeded in climbing the highest mountains in seven continents making him
the youngest to do so in 2001. Graduated from Waseda University, School of
Humanities and Social Sciences through the night course.

Completed the latter

doctoral semester at Tokyo University of the Arts, the Graduate School of Fine Arts
in 2008. Being interested in cultural anthropology and folklore studies, hetraveled across vastly different fields such as the highest peaks of the world, remoteregions, and urban areas and compiled them into photographic works presenting
them to the world.
In 2008, he won the Photographic Society of Japan’s Newcomer Award andKodansha Publication’s Culture Award for Photography for his “NEWDIMENSION” (AKAAKA Art Publishing) in which he traveled through prehistoricmurals all over the world and “POLAR” (Little More) taking a close-up look at thegreat nature of the Arctic Circle and its inhabitants. Won the Higashikawa New
Photographer Award in 2009 for his active works including “Mt. Fuji” (Little More)capturing Mt. Fuji as a mountain not to gaze but to climb. Received Domon Ken
Award in 2011 for his “CORONA” (Seidosha) examining the history and people’s
lives on the islands of the South Pacific.

Produced many photography books suchas the Himalaya series, “Lhotse” “Makalu”(SLANT) focusing on 8000m peaks andwon the Photographic Society of Japan’s Lifetime Achievement Award for his“EVEREST” (CCC Media House) and “MAREBITO” (Shogakukan) in 2020. He
also received Kaiko Takeshi Non-fiction Award for his book “The Last Adventurer”(Shueisha) pursuing the life of an invincible adventurer, Kanda Michio.
His major solo exhibitions include “JAPONÉSIA” (Japan House Sao Paolo,
Museu Oscar Niemeyer, Brazil, 2020-21), “Capturing the Map of Light on This

Planet” (Art Tower Mito, Niigata City Art Museum, Ichihara Lakeside Museum,
The Museum of Art, Kochi, Kitakyushu Municipal of Art, Tokyo Opera City Art
Gallery, 2016 -19), “K2” (CHANEL NEXUS HALL, Tokyo, 2015), “ARCHIPELAGO”(Okinawa Prefectural Museum, 2010). His works are housed in Museum ofContemporary Art, Tokyo, Tokyo Photographic Art Museum, Yokohama Museum ofArt, Okinawa Prefectural Museum etc.
Involved in the project “Shashin Zero Banchi Shiretoko” in which they
discover and disseminate the charm of the Shiretoko Peninsula, East Hokkaido to
the world, holding photography exhibitions, workshops, talk shows and so on.

<Artist Statements>
I have been traveling for nearly 30 years since I was a teenager. As I
repeatedly perceive and digest the world through my own body, sharing myexperiences with others has become an important part of my work.
As the number of treasured friends and places I call home in the Japanesearchipelago gradually increases, the Shiretoko Peninsula is like my starting point.
I’m very happy that what I have been doing steadily over the years throughphotography has been gradually reaching more people, and that it has come to berecognized in Higashikawa. Thank you very much.
ISHIKAWA Naoki

The Hidano Kazuuemon AwardHIROTA Naotaka
Lives in Kanagawa Prefecture

Born in Tokyo in 1935. Graduated from Faculty of Economics, Chuo
University. Started having an interest in railways since childhood and took
pictures of them for the first time when he was in the 3rd grade of junior highschool.

Fascinated in railway photography and became a pioneer in that field.

Established Japan Railway Photographers Society in 1988 and became a firstchairman and paved the way for railway photography in Japan.
After graduating from university, he became a freelance photographer in1960 after working as an office worker. Held his first solo exhibition “steam

locomotives” overflowing with expressions full of originality and showed a whole
new world of railway photography.
In the same year, he edited his first railway photography book, “The Lureof Japan’s Railways” (Japan Times, 1969) and made an English one. There areover 200 publications including his first overseas photography book, “SteamLocomotives of Europe” (Asahi Shimbun, 1973), and “SL Mugen“ (Kagusha, 1975) of
which are all monochrome. Also, in his 20s, he began to create an alternative
version of children’s books featuring pictures of real vehicles instead of illustrations.
As an extra edition of “Railway Magazine”, He provided an annual series ofmagazines“Railway Photography”, presenting his own works as well as sharing theworks of his senior colleagues in this field. He actively promotes railway
photography to amateur photographers.
In 2009, he published “Era of F “(Shogakukan) consisting of photos hetook in the 60s via a Nikon F. Held an exhibition of the same name in the Nikon
Museum in 2018, and in 2019 the town of Higashikawa and was well received. Also,
he edits and designs digital books on his own.
Using a self-modified camera, his distinct way of shooting with various
techniques such as blur, cloudy and deformation, he was able to widen theexpressions of his pictures of railways, surrounding sceneries, relationships
between people establishing new standards of railway photography.

<Artist Statements>

With some surprise, I thank you for selecting me.
I’m grateful that you have given attention to my work despite the fact that I’ve justbeen photographing trains that I like.
Railway fans were originally social outcasts. At that time, it was common
to think that it’s strange for adults to play with trains. And when I was asked why I
took photos of trains, I would answer in a sweat, “Um, for the scenery…”
I decided to pursue photography 56 years ago, when I brought about 10
photos to the Fuji Photo Salon. They promptly decided, “Let’s do something next
April.” Although I was happy but something also worried me. Up to then I had only
made prints up to 2L size (12.7cm x 17.8cm). I had no experience of making larger
prints. So I was worried If the quality could hold up the exhibition space.
It was a needless worry. Serenar and Nikkor’s photos were spectacular atthe venue, and I’ve attracted more customers than ever since the salon opened.
I had hope, although my prospects were a rocky road. It was like a wedge
plow pushing through in the desert. In that way, this award is like an oasis in mylife. Thank you very much.
HIROTA Naotaka

Higashikawa International Photography Festival
Photo Fiesta 2023

Award Winners’ Exhibition
Date: 29 July (Sat.) – 28 August (Wed.), 2023
Venue: Higashikawa Bunka Gallery
Time: 10:00 - 17:00
Admission: ¥100
Organize: The Town of Photography: Higashikawa
Address: 1-19-8 Higashi-machi, Higashikawa-cho, Kamikawa-gun, 071-1423 Hokkaido
Tel: (+81)-(0)166-82-4700 Fax: (+81)-(0)166-82-4704

Artists:
Astrid JAHNSEN(The Overseas Photographer Award)

HARA Mikiko (The Domestic Photographer Award)
FUJIOKA Aya (The New Photographer Award)
ISHIKAWA Naoki (The Special Photographer Award)
HIROTA Naotaka (The Hidano Kazuuemon Award)

Event Schedule:
29 July (Sat.)

13:30-14:30 Award Ceremony
17:00-18:30 Opening Reception

30 July (Sun.)

13:00-17:30 Panel Discussion
Panelists: award winners, judges and guests※There is a possibility that schedule may be modified related to the current coronavirus
situation.

Higashikawa Awards[Purpose]With the idea of contributing to and fostering photographic culture as well as
raising the cultural consciousness of Higashikawa residents, starting this year, 1985,
we will annually be awarding prizes accompanied by monetary gifts to thephotographer for his / her works.

[Awards]
The Overseas Photographer Award*1,000,000 yen to a overseas photographer
The Domestic Photographer Award*1,000,000 yen to a Japanese photographer
The New Photographer Award*500,000 yen to a Japanese photographer
The Special Photographer Award*500,000 yen to a photographer from Hokkaido
The Hidano Kazuuemon Award*500,000 yen to a photographer who contributed to society throughphotography[Conditions]
The Overseas Photographer Award is presented to a photographer in a specificcountry or region chosen each year. He / She must be either living or born in thatcountry or region.
The Domestic and the New Photographer Awards are presented to photographers
whose work has been taken within the past three years that has significance either inthe history of photography or as some unique expression of the art of photography.
The Special Photographer Award is presented to a photographer living or born in
Hokkaido or whose theme and / or object concerns this island.
The Hidano Kazuuemon Award is presented to a photographer in acknowledgementof his longtime contributions in taking photographs of local people, nature and culture.
(The prize is open to both professional and amateur photographers.)
Of all the prizes, no specific restrictions are applied concerning the year it was
taken for the Overseas Prize, the Special Prize and the Hidano Kazuuemon Prize.

[Selection]
The works selected by nominators charged by the executive committee are judged
by the Jury Committee of the Higashikawa Award. The awards ceremony is held eachyear during the period of the Photo Fiesta in Higashikawa Town and is accompaniedby commemorative symposiums and other events.

[Other Stipulations]
The monetary gift presented with the Higashikawa Awards is meant to purchasethe original prints of the awarded photographs. Each awardee is requested tovoluntarily submit original print(s) of his / her choice from among the awarded works
to the residents of Higashikawa town.
The residents of the town shall be responsible for storing the photographs with careand for exhibiting them to visitors to Higashikawa, the Town of Photography.
These awarded photographs are exhibited at the Higashikawa Photography
Museum in order to contribute to promoting a friendship and cultural development of
the Town of Higashikawa.
We may present other awards to the photographs of outstanding works in order tocontribute to photographic culture as well as to development of the Higashikawa
Awards. For this reason, awards from other committees and sponsors are negotiable.

The Town of Photography
Culture Capital of Photography: Higashikawa
Higashikawa Town is located in central Hokkaido, northernmost of Japan, and is apart of Japan's

largest nationalpark "Daisetsuzan

National

Park" with

Higashikawa's eastern part forming a large-scale forest. Blessed with natural beauty,
lots of places in Higashikawa have been the subjects of many photographs.
Higashikawa, firstly cultivated by a group of settlers in 1895, has a shorter history
compared to that of photography invented in 1839. Higashikawa declared the “Townof Photography” in 1985 aiming to create a town of “being a good subject to be
photographed” co-existing with beautiful nature inhabited by many species of animals
and plants.
Higashikawa established the Higashikawa Awards in the same year and started
the annual summer festival of photography with the idea of contributing to andfostering photographic culture as well as raising the cultural consciousness of
Higashikawa residents. With a history of more than a quarter of a century, it has been
the nation’s prestigious photography awards and the longest-running photography
festival.
Higashikawa awards can also be noted in that it has rewarded overseas
outstanding photographers such as Joel Sternfeld, Lewis Baltz and Jan Saudek aswell as domestic photographers and introduced them to Japan. Through this, we meet
people from abroad and exchange with them. By doing so, we believe we can entrust
prayer for peace and our dreams to the future generation.
Since the declaration of the Town of Photography, Higashikawa has been a platformof meeting people, photography culture and nature over the last 30 years. Celebrating
120 years of resource development of the land, we declared the Culture Capital of
Photography in May 2014, keeping in mind our motto “Take a picture, Save thepicture, Share it with others” and with the determination to link photography andpeople across the world.