Bibliography

Korinsha Press, Kyoto
1998
104pp
257×333mm
63 four-color plates
Soft cover
Design: Ryoichi Shiraishi
ISBN: 978-4771303058

Kumano is Risaku Suzuki’s first book. The theme of this book is a sequence structure that visualizes points of view moving from here to there, shifting settings, and temporal changes.
Starting with a small lit match, the photo sequence unfolds with the passing landscape from Tokyo to Wakayama until reaching a fire festival in Suzuki’s hometown. The Otoh-matsuri festival has been held annually on February 6th since ancient times, and it is closely associated with Kumano Shugendo, a tradition of mountain asceticism incorporating Shinto and Buddhist concepts. Kumano, Suzuki’s home-region, was regarded as sacred ground in Japan’s ancient worship of mountains. Suzuki sought to photograph what is present but not visible. To view this book is to experience the passage of time.