Born in Tochigi Prefecture.
While in high school, inherited her father’s twin-lens reflex camera and began taking photographs.
After graduating from university, studied photography and worked at a professional lab and newspaper company before going freelance.
Since then, has exhibited work in magazines and solo exhibitions, focusing on travel and scenes from daily life.
Her photo book includes Kichimu Flies at Night, published by Fugensha in 2018.
[ Solo Exhibitions ]
- 1998
- Lovable Things, Holland Pavilion, Tochigi
- 2005
- Meow and Shah, nomado, Nezu, and nido, Yanaka, Tokyo
- 2007
- Fushichikonai Huvavo, slide screening event, café la famile, Yuki City; Tough Door, Utsunomiya City; nido, Yanaka, Tokyo
- 2017
- Kichimu Flies at Night at Gallery Niépce, Yotsuya 3-chome, Tokyo
- 2018
- Kichimu Flies at Night Publication Commemorative Exhibition, Fugensha Gallery, Tsukiji, Tokyo
[ Selected Group Exhibitions ]
- 2009
- LOVE CAT Exhibition, PIPPO, Asakusa, Tokyo
- 2019
-
Monochrome Collection of Fugensha, Fugensha, Tsukiji, Tokyo
NEKO project, IBASHO Gallery, Antwerp, Belgium
- 2020
-
Neko: The Cat in Japanese Art, Japan Museum SieboldHuis, Leiden, The Netherlands
Springtime of the Corona Disaster, Fugensha Gallery, Meguro, Tokyo
- 2022
- NEKO project, Rossana Orlandi Gallery, Milan and Villa Bertelli Forte dei Marmi, Italy
- 2023
- My Friends - The Stories of Photographers and their Beloveds Part3, Sony Imaging Gallery Ginza, Tokyo
[ Publications ]
- Neko Project —Japanese Photographer, Sophie CAVALIERO Iki Edition, France (participating artist)
- C'est quoi pour vous la photographie ? Chibi International, France (participating artist)
In my daily life, I’ve taken photos whenever I’ve felt a sudden joy for what I see, been struck by surprise, or felt a tender affection.
It is my way of preserving memories so they won’t fade amidst the endless tasks that keep piling up.
When I look at the photos I’ve taken, I often notice images with reflections of water: the ocean from a trip, a pond in a park, or a city’s moat. Perhaps it’s because heavy rains have also become a regular part of daily life in recent years.
While looking at the photo of the sea and my eldest daughter that I had chosen for the flyer, I suddenly remembered the story of the mayfly.
The mayfly spends several years living in clear waters as a larva, but after finally emerging as an adult, it lives only a few hours, just enough time to mate, lay eggs, and then die. The scientific name Ephemeroptera is a Latin term coined from words meaning ‘a day’ and ‘wing.’
The many scenes I’ve witnessed have faded from my mind.
The cat who accompanied me for 17 years has lived its natural lifespan, and my children are no longer in their early years.
What I have managed to leave behind may be like countless, flickering mayflies