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The Beautiful Japanese City of Hagi |
―Through the Eyes of a Traveling Folklorist Called Tsuneichi Miyamoto― |
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Dec. 22, 2007 〜 Apr. 8, 2008 |
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Project-based Exhibition Room |
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Tsuneichi Miyamoto walked around the former Hagi city, the former Kawakami village, etc. in the 1960s, and took a large number of pictures in those places.
He showed a deep interest in the routine of daily life which we were apt to overlook, and photographed it. The pictures taken by him will enable us to catch a glimpse of their contented life and a typical beautiful Japanese city.
What in the world has made Hagi a beautiful Japanese city? |
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IN PURSUIT OF THE VIEWPOINT OF TSUNEICHI MIYAMOTO
Tsuneichi Miyamoto (1907〜1981) is from Suo-Oshima town,Yamaguchi prefecture ( formerly Towa town, Oshima county).
He was called “ a traveling folklorist."He walked around all parts of Japan to keep a record of culture of each district. He also made a contribution to promoting the development of agriculture and forestry.
In the meantime, he turned his eyes to the routine of daily life, and took as many as 100,000 pictures all over the country. Through viewing this large collection of pictures, we can see precious things which we would have otherwise missed. |
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“ …people in this city haven’t destroyed the lifestyle from old times....”
“ …as it were, it was no exaggeration to say that they had lived against progress …they had a strong desire to keep a traditional lifestyle.... ”
From “ My Japanese Map No.13：Hagi and its neighborhoods ” written by Tsuneichi Miyamoto
* Tsuneichi Miyamoto was engaged in the general scientific research of Mishima island (1960-1962), and the urgent research of the collection of folk materials of the area which was to be submerged after the completion of the Abu River Dam (1968-1969). So he visited the former Hagi city, Mishima island, the Six Islands village, the former Kawakami village, and the former Fukue village. In those places he took more than 2000 pictures. |
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“ … This diligence and deliberation should be rewarded. I don’t think this sort of lifestyle is out of date.... Economic gains are not the only object of our human life.”
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“ The island was filled with the cries of children all day long, so their parents had something to live for.... They felt happy to be with their children, and entrusted their future dreams to them....”
From “ My Japanese Map No.13：Hagi and its neighborhoods ” written by Tsuneichi Miyamoto |
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| This exhibition is based on the collection of pictures about the Hagi area taken by Tsuneichi Mtyamoto in the 1960s. In this exhibition, we'd like you to try to see the way of life he was especially interested in. |
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