Leica Camera Japan is pleased to present Roots, a photography exhibition by actor Hiroshi Tamaki, an artist with a deep sense of expression and sensitivity who continues to explore storytelling through photography. The exhibition will be held at Leica Gallery Kyoto.

For this series, Tamaki turns his lens on Nishinoshima Town in Oki District, Shimane Prefecture, the birthplace of his grandfather. Through his photographs, he seeks to preserve the landscapes his grandfather once saw, weaving his memories into the present and passing them on to the future. Capturing the serene beauty of the land and the gentle passage of time through his Leica, Tamaki invites you to enter a world of nostalgia and quiet reverence.

Nishinoshima-town, Oki District, Shimane Prefecture.

In May last year, my grandfather, who was born and raised in Nishinoshima, passed away just before his 103rd birthday.

He was a strong, sturdy, cheerful and kind man.  

When he was young, my grandfather was interned in Siberia for two and a half years. After returning from a place “beyond imagination”, he spent the rest of his days in Nishinoshima as a fisherman.

I wanted to preserve the Nishinoshima my grandfather saw – the place he loved and where he lived out his life peacefully. It is with that thought in mind that I took these photographs.

Dear grandpa,

If it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t be here today.
Thanks to you, I’m living a happy and fulfilling life. 
Your great-grandchild, born a hundred years after you, is growing up strong and healthy.
I will pass on proof of the strength with which you lived.
I believe it is important to cherish the time we had with the people we love.

Thank you.

Hiroshi Tamaki