shashasha

The photobook “Hikari to Kage no Shima” (lit. “Islands of Light and Shadow”) by Takashi Ishimine traces the Okinawan photographer. In 121 photos selected from three series (“Hikari to Kage no Shima”, “72-nen no Natsu” (lit. “Summer of ’72”), and the unfinished series “Umi no tabibito” (lit. “Travelers on the Sea”), we follow life on the Okinawan islands through Ishimine’s life: mines deep in the forest, intertwined with mystical beliefs; political and protest activities; and old local folktales overlayed on the daily life of the islanders.

Takashi Ishimine was born in Taiwan in 1945. He studied at the Tokyo School of Photography and assisted in the photography office of Yutaka Takanashi, a leading figure in Japanese photographer and “Provoke” member, before he returned to Okinawa in 1970. Following Takanashi’s words of advice, he continued taking photographs while working as a laborer, eventually holding solo exhibitions at Nikon Salon Ginza in 1988. He died in a motorcycle accident in 1993, aged 47.