terrestrial�U

自然の中で撮影しているとき、ふと子供の頃に遊んだ山や海のことを思い出す。
昔と比べると随分変わってしまったようにも思う。
たとえば近所の山に行けば、普通にメダカを見ることができた。特別珍しい魚でもなかった。
それが今や、近所のホームセンターに行かなければ見ることができない。
夏になればセミの鳴き声が洪水のように聞こえてきた山も、今はセミの数が減ったようだ。
数年前、山の中で撮影していると、軽トラで通りかかった1人の農家の方に声をかけられた。
「何を撮られているのですか」の問いに対しては、いつも少し困るのだが、正直に荒れた山の風景を撮影していることを告げると、その方は、ガックリと顔をハンドルに伏せた。
そして「もう、どうすることもできない」と一言。皆でなんとかしようと声をかけても、その反応は消極的だそうだ。
山が荒れれば、海が荒れてしまう。思い立って、河口近くの海に行ってみた。そこで見た光景は衝撃的だ、おびただしいしい流木の数。大雨が降れば、また新しい流木が押し寄せる。
大量の流木はここ数年の気温上昇に伴う天候の異変、そして山が荒れた結果かもしれない。
二酸化炭素を吸収し酸素を生みだす森林や海洋が荒れてしまえば、近い将来人の生存は難しくなるだろう。これらは、今まで人間の利便性のみ考えてきた結果による。
タイトルのterrestrialは、「地上性を持つ」という意味も持つ。つまりは、今までの人類と環境を分離した考えをあらため、環境にどう依存して生きるかということである。
しかし、人は今の利便性を手放し、狩猟や農耕の民族に戻ることは難しいだろう。人口が増加しているために、それは新たな環境の破壊を生むであろう。
人が進むべきは、地球環境を痛めない、そして再生させるテクノロジーへ力を注ぐことではないだろうか、そして使われなくなった土地を、本来の自然に戻すことではないだろうか。

When shooting outdoors in nature, I'm suddenly transported back to the mountains and sea where I used to play in my youth.
When I think back to those days, I realise how much has changed since then.
For instance, when I went up the mountain near my house, I used to see rice fish in the streams. These fish were quite a common sight.
Nowadays, it's only possible to find them if you go to your local garden centre.
In the summer, the mountain used to come alive with chirping cicadas sounding like a flood of rushing water, but cicada numbers seem to have dwindled in recent years.
A few years ago, when I was taking photos in the mountains, a farmer who happened to be driving past called out to me.
Now, I always hesitate a little when asked what I'm taking photos of, but I answered honestly, informing him that I was photographing the ravaged mountainside, but upon hearing this, the man lowered his head dejectedly.
"There's nothing more that can be done for it," he replied briefly. Apparently, calls to do something are falling on deaf ears.
If the mountains become ravaged, the seas will be next.
I decided to go down to where the river opens out to the sea. I was shocked by the sight that I was met with: a vast amount of driftwood. Heavy rainfall only brings more driftwood with it.
The large amount of driftwood could probably be attributed to dramatic weather patterns associated with rising temperatures in recent years, resulting in the barren mountainside.
If the forests and oceans that absorb carbon dioxide and produce oxygen are neglected in this way, then humans will struggle to survive in the not-too-distant future.
All of these problems are the result of only considering human convenience up until now.
The title of this photograph collection, "terrestrial", also means "being of the earth". In other words, we need to reconsider the way humans have separated themselves from the environment up until now, and instead turn our attention to how we should rely on the environment.
Of course, it would be hard for people to let go of their current conveniences and return to a life of hunting and agriculture. Yet, as the global population continues to increase, it will likely only cause further environmental destruction.
What people need to focus on are technologies that not only don't harm the environment but actually regenerate it, and return land that has fallen into disuse to its former natural glory.

terrestrial

ここ数年、地球温暖化という言葉を聞く機会が増え、その影響と思われる異常な高温、風水害、山火
事と様々な災害が世界中で発生し、時に目の当たりにすることが増えてきた。
私が実際に温暖化の影響を目の当たりにしたのは、2012年の八丈島で、地元の方から温暖化の影響で今ま
で採れたテングサが採れなくなったことを聞いたときだ。
それまでは地球温暖化については知っていたが、身近な国内でも影響が出始めていることにショックを受け
た。
それから数年経たないうちに国内においても、今までにない大型の台風、大雨による災害が増加してきてい
る。
産業革命以降、人々の欲は止まることなく開発を進めた、その結果として温室効果ガスの二酸化炭素が増加
した。二酸化炭素と温暖化の関係を疑問視する声はあるが増加 とともに気温が上昇していることは事実で
ある。
気温上昇は海面温度の上昇を伴い、それは二酸化炭素の吸収や酸素を生み出す植物プランクトンにも影響を
与えるばかりか、生存することさえできなくなる。そうなれば、地上生物の生存も危ぶまれることになる。
私たちは、自己の存在が周りの生物や物理的現象に依存することで生きていることに気づく時期に来てい
る。
私は、これからも地上の綻びを、フィールドワークしながら見つけ撮影を続けたい。

terresrial
Yutaka Hashimura
For some years the term “global warming” has become increasingly prominent, and I have
been seeing - and occasionally encountering - more and more of the apparent effects of this
phenomenon in various disasters worldwide, including abnormal temperatures, storm and
flood damage, and forest fires.
My first direct exposure to the effects of global warming came in 2012, when I heard from
locals on Hachij.-jima that they had been unable to collect Gelidiaceae due to the effects
of global warming, despite having had no problems harvesting this algae up to that point.
I was aware of the effects of global warming before then, but I was shocked to learn that
the impact was starting to be felt locally within Japan.
Since then, Japan has been experiencing more and more natural disasters, including
typhoons and powerful storms on an unprecedented scale.
Ever since the Industrial Revolution, human greed has continued to push forward
development, resulting in increased output of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide.
There are still some who voice doubts about carbon dioxide and global warming, but it is a
fact that temperatures are increasing as the output of greenhouses gases increases. And
increasing air temperatures are also causing sea surface temperatures to increase, which in
turn threatens the very existence of plankton, a lifeform that absorbs carbon dioxide and
produces oxygen. Without plankton, life on the ground will also be in danger of extinction.
It is time for us to recognize that our existence is dependent on the living beings and
physical phenomena around us. My intention is to continue finding and photographing the
open seams of the ground through field work

題名：流される心
サブタイトル：特攻を決めたとき

私は平和な日本に生まれ育ち不自由なく生活している。しかし、七十数年前は戦争状態にあった。徐々に追い詰められるなか、特攻作戦が開始された。その中でも、爆薬を搭載した一人乗りの小型潜水艇には衝撃と恐怖を感じた。
その兵器は回天と呼ばれ、自らが乗り込むため若い士官たちが考案した。当初は反対していた海軍も採用に踏み切り、多くの若者が訓練に参加し出撃した。
決死の戦闘はどの国の軍人にも見られる。しかし、日本ではそれが組織的に行われた。何故この様な事が起きたのだろうか。それは、日本人の共同体の価値観に合わせる社会的文化的特徴と、それにより作り出される空気に従う国民性が、組織的な決死の作戦に向かわせたのではないだろうか。
二度と同じことを繰り返さないためにも、本作を通じで、当時のことに想いを馳せながら、これからを考えるきっかけになればと思います。

Title: Vulnerable Minds
Subtitle: When Suicide Attacks Were Chosen

I was born and grew up in peaceful post-war Japan, and I live there in comfort today. However, the country was at war-WWII-just seventy-some years ago. As the war progressively deteriorated for Japan, it resorted to suicide attacks. One type of weapon used for such attacks was the one-man midget submarine, which functioned like a torpedo. I was shocked and terrified when I saw some restored examples of these weapons.
These torpedo-submarines were called kaiten, the idea of which was developed by young naval officers who themselves intended to operate them. The navy initially opposed to the plan, but approved it in the end, and as a result, many young officers and soldiers underwent training and carried out suicide attacks.
Any soldier, sailor, or airman from any country could end up in a battle where death was inevitable. However, in the case of kaiten and other suicide attacks by Imperial Japan in WWII, the guarantee of death was created intentionally in an organized manner. How were such operations possible? I suspect that the sociocultural tendencies of the Japanese people to conform to collective values and to appreciate a sense of unity maintained by not questioning anything contributed to these tragic, highly organized suicide attacks.
My sincere wish is that this work will inspire readers to reflect upon the war and think about the future, in which such tragedies should never happen again.