Born in Tokyo, Japan, in 1980. Medical doctor, Photographer. Began photography with Leica M8 in 2009. Having been evaluated by renowned Leica photographers at home and abroad, officially debuted as a photographer with supported from Leica Camera Japan in 2015. Aiming to create monochrome work that reflect a sense of originality. He presents his work from Oman, showcasing the versatility of the Leica SL in light and monochrome images.

Why Oman?

Oman has attractive elements – peaceful country, the desert and camels and the starry night, the story of Arabian nights, beautiful Arabian sea, – really an exotic mood.

At the same time, Oman has some important keywords of this world -Strait of Hormuz, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and one of the Islamic communities – we hear them in news everyday. These phrases can sound disrupting to people who might not know the details. I thought Oman has hints of hope and peace for the world. Therefore, these topics tempted me and I selected Oman as my project. In fact Oman has also great nature and it’s really peaceful with very gentle.

This means, as we already know, that we can’t understand anything by only impression. This is a typical example of the recent international situation. We can judge everything when seen with our eyes, not by Google.

What’s the idea behind “understanding others”?

This chaotic world upsets us in terrible ways. I feel so much fear when I think about the children of the future in this world. To be more gentle to others is what we can do in this moment for a better future. The world is growing smaller with the advance of technology and we can reach immediately the reverse side of earth with it, but I feel the invisible wall is standing between people. Nations, history, skin color, language, religion, we are definitely different, but one species living on the same planet is a fact. It is difficult in modern society to understand others because our values change continuously. I believe that when I can understand others I can be better, therefore, understanding others is my life’s theme. So I try it again and again.

I also explore the relation to Muslims and how they are portrayed. As we know Muslims is a common topic in the world, often too generalized. On the premise that Islam has some denominations, a Muslim who I met in Oman said that almost all of them are very friendly and love peace so they pray for it (this is true as well for people all over the world and from all religions). The people in this project are hiding their faces, as if they were heading some place. Of course the interpretation of this work reflects your mind. One sure thing, all Muslims who I met were gentle and friendly.

Why black and white?

People quickly and unconsciously react in accordance with the experience when they see colors. It has a risk of preconception about an interpretation. Removing the color means removing the preconception to see things straight. This is why I chose to make this project in black and white.

How was the Leica SL performance compared to other cameras?

This project made by Leica M Monochrom (Typ 246) and Leica SL with Noctilux 0.95. Body is rigid, EVF has excellent visibility, shutter-feel is comfortable and sensor & engine is so sophisticated. ISO 50 is useful for wide open. Therefore, in my opinion, for M-lens the M-body is best except for Noctilux.

Thank you Yasuhisa!

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