ここ数年、ふとしたきっかけから京都の寺社仏閣をひとり訪ね歩くようになった。観光客の群れを避け、山の中にひっそりとある古刹や昔ながらの参詣路をカメラ片手に歩いていると、時折、かつてこの地に去来した古人たちの息遣いをリアルに感じ取れるような光景に出会った。

日本でしか出会えない色彩の王国。今しばらくはこの京都の風景を追いかけてみようと思う。

The current of the flowing river does not cease, and yet the water is not the same water as before. The foam that floats on stagnant pools, now vanishing, now forming, never stays the same for long. So, too, it is with the people and dwellings of the world (Hojoki, by Kamo no Chomei).

One of the recent works I’m concentrating on right now is the landscape of Kyoto, the ancient capital of Japan. What fascinates me in Kyoto is the color filling the city. It is deep, rich and vibrant. And it changes constantly, thanks to aging in architecture and change of the seasons. The color of Kyoto tells us that everything is transient, almost like the current of the flowing river, as described by the hermit Kamo no Chomei 800 years ago. Everything never stays the same for long - that’s the key theme of this photo series.