Summer Fairies

For my series Summer Fairies, I explore the relationship between the ecology and natural environment of "HImebotaru" flying in the summer night forest. The spectacle of fireflies, an endemic species of Japan, flying through the summer forest is like a scene where the stars in the sky repeat twinkling. That sight is fantastic enough to forget the awe of the night forest. It is the shine brightness of life of only 10 days in the summer. The forests they live in include forests that have been replanted by clearing old virgin forests, and some forests left behind after clearing virgin forests for development.These places also have a connection with Japanese nature worship, and are familiar with "Shinto", which believes in "animism", an ancient Japanese way of thinking that feels God in all things. For seven years in the forests of Yamagata prefecture in the Tohoku region of Japan,I have continued to observe the ecology and habitat of "Himebotaru", and have come to feel that it is not an individual but a species. And I myself have noticed that the repeated glow of fireflies is remembered in my brain not for a moment, but for a longer unit of time. The sun goes down, the forest starts to get darker, the fireflies start to fly and continue to fly through the darkness. While capturing reality, I create stories by condensing them into a single image by adding subjective perspectives and sensations, including the excitement of looking at it without time, and the awe of mountains and forests. Forests are living things, and many flora and fauna coexist in the forest. The life time of each creature is not the same, it may be one year or decades, the time of each life will flow, and the life will be repeated. Through this series, conveying the voice of the forest, Nature aims to be accepted as a sublime thing that should not be threatened by humans. I just hope that this forest and its fireflies will be protected.