To love is to grieve, and to grieve is to have loved. City of Roses is not only a record of my grief, but also a love letter to my mother, my family, my ancestors, and the city of Fukuyama. At the end of World War II, air raids burned 80% of the city, resulting in the loss of many lives. In 1956, Fukuyama residents planted 1,000 roses in hopes of recovery, restoration, and spiritual healing, marking the beginning of Fukuyama's history as the 'City of Roses'. In 2016, Fukuyama became the 'City of One Million Roses'. People now have the expression 'heart of roses', which expresses kindness, compassion, and unity. I lost my grandparents in 2021, midsummer in Japan. Inspired by Masahisa Fukase's 'Solitude of Ravens' series, I became fixated on the idea of photographing the roses of my mother's hometown while reflecting on my own grief. In this case, the photographs gave me the purpose and energy I needed to return to Fukuyama, rather than wallow in the sadness and nostalgia that continue to haunt me today. This book is as much about love and sadness as The City of Roses. Because in the process, I found beauty in sadness, and sadness, love, memory, and joy in the one million roses. Because sadness itself is the ultimate act of love.
100 pages, 8 x 25.5 cm, softcover, SALT AND PEPPER (Tokyo).