For nearly a decade, Kengo Noguchi has photographed those who reside in the little corners of the big cities. Through these portraits, he witnessed a diversity of lifestyles and uniqueness held by each space. It was confusing to label such temporary living spaces with familiar terms (house, hut, blue poly tarp, tent), so Noguchi decided to call them ‘Iori’, the traditional dwelling of a monk or hermit, often mentioned in Japanese poetry as a motif that illustrates a simple way of life. As he became acquainted with more of these people and repeatedly photographed them while building relationships, his preconceived image for the words “vagabond” and “homeless” began to collapse.
