Koji Takiguchi: “Sou” – Celebration of Death in the Family

"Window Sou", a photo book by Japanese photographer Hiroshi Takiguchi. Born in 1977. He graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts in 2001 with a degree in design, but in 2018 he went on to enter the master's program in design at the Graduate School of Fine Arts in Tokyo University of the Arts, energetically releasing his works and private photo albums including university production. Hiroshi Takiguchi who is. In 2004, he was awarded the Nomination for Araki Nobuyoshi Award for Excellence in the "New Cosmos of Photography" and the Associate Grand Prix, but he is a versatile photographer who has won awards not only for photography but also for animation and painting.

Japan – 

Published by Little Big Man Books, Japan, Photography feature – Koji Takiguchi‘s images document his wife and her family over several years. During this time her mother died very suddenly from cancer. Immediately after that her father was committed to hospital and remained their indefinitely. While he was still in hospital Takiguchi’s wife gave birth to their son, and then, as if they had been hanging on for the happy event of the birth, her father and the beloved family cat passed away in quick succession.

When Takiguchi looked back over the photos that he had taken over this time, and also the photos of his wife’s father and mother from their younger days that had been left behind, he strongly felt that the two sets of photos were part of a single series.
Takiguchi’s wife told him how, at the moment that her mother took her last breath, she slowly cast her gaze out of the window as if she had caught site of something in the empty sky, and it was then that she slipped away. The “Window”, as he took from inside the room out through it, separates this from that side, symbolising the thin, fragile border that remarks life and death.

In Japanese the kanji for “Window” is “窓”, pronounced “MADO”. But it can also be pronounced “SOU”, which is shared with other kanji, such as “相” meaning ’Together’, “想” meaning ‘Believe’ or ‘Mind’, “喪” meaning ‘Mourning’, “葬” meaning ‘Funeral’, “添う” meaning ‘Accompany’, and so on.

Related Posts

Colombian Gangsta and other stories – Kosuke Okahara

Japan –  In an attempt to find new ways of communicating a story, Kosuke has recently produced the first issue ...

Kate Nolan: Neither

Ireland –  Neither is an exploration into the dreams and fears of young women in Kaliningrad – an isolated Russian region ...

EMAHO Picks the Most Interesting Photobooks of 2013

“We at Emaho did not try to present only the ‘Best of Photo-Books of 2013’ but a well researched selection ...

Douglas Stockdale on Renee Jacobs PARIS

USA –  THIS STORY CONTAINS EXPLICIT CONTENT Renee Jacobs (American, born 1962, Philadelphia, PA, resides in Los Angeles, CA) recent ...

Manik Katyal on Nicolo Degiorgis “Hidden Islam”

Italy – Winner of Author Book Award 2014 at the Rencontres d’Arles, self-published book ‘Hidden Islam’ by Fabrica graduate, Photography feature ...

Emma Phillips: SALT

Australia – Young Melbourne photographer Emma Phillips’ new body of landscape images is so striking in its minimalist visage that ...

Awoiska van der Molen: “Sequester” – Photographic Meditation of Volcanic Landscape in Canary Islands

Netherlands – I stay in places, locations far from the outside world. Being in this world -and the long time ...

Colin Pantall on Max Pinckers “Will They Sing Like Raindrops or Leave Me Thirsty”

Belgium – What do you do if you love somebody but your love is forbidden by your parents, by your ...

Zhe Chen: The Bearable & Bees

China – The Bearable (2007-2010) is Chen’s confessional photo-documentation of her self-harm history spanning half a decade. Bees (2010-2012) features a collection ...