On April 17, 2007, while running for a fourth term, then-Nagasaki Mayor Itcho Itoh was shot in the back by a gang member and died the next day. Photographer Makoto Yasumori, whose father was Itoh’s cousin, went in search of the fading memories of Itoh’s politics, his hopeful vision, and the violent incident that led to his death. His series “Himawari” (Japanese for sunflower, Itoh’s favorite flower) interrupts unassuming scenes of everyday life in Nagasaki, most of which are somehow related to Itoh or the incident, with direct references to the shooting in the form of newspaper clippings or the blood-soaked shirt in which Itoh was shot. Although personally affected, Yasumori adopts a documentary style that underscores the value of questioning – of searching for meaning – even when no clear answers may emerge. “Every year on April 17, a platform was set up for people to offer flowers at the site of the incident. In 2019, on the 13th anniversary of Itcho Ito’s death, it was decided that the platform would no longer be set up. It was then when I began to fear that the memories of Itcho Ito and the significance of the incident would inevitable fade away. After struggling with my reluctance to photograph anything connected with the incident, in the end I became strongly resolved to preserve Itcho Ito’s memory through photographs … I am heavily concerned that facts and lessons we must not forget will sink into oblivion. I don’t want them to fade away. They must not be allowed to fade away. I want to preserve the memories through photographs. This is the moment I wish to make an appeal borrowing the words of Itcho Ito. ‘What on earth are human beings doing?’ I pray that this photograph collection serves as a catalyst for reflecting on that question” ― from Makoto Yasumori’s afterword
