Top » Interview » Shinichi Shida
I discovered photography when I was in high school. My childhood was not so well-off as I lost my father quite early. I bought my first TV set only after starting my job. So a camera, which was a gift from my relatives celebrating my entry to high school, was something more than a treasure for me.
I became serious about photography when I started working and soon after I began to win prizes in photo contests. I happened to become attracted by fishermen's lives, certainly because my father had a boat and also there was a fishing port near I lived. 80 years old might be seen as quite old in cities, but many 80-year-old fishermen still fish, and they seem to be so full of life. Fascinated with the fishermen's community I began to take photos of them whenever I was off from work. And I started building a dream of holding a photo exhibition filled with these fishermen's faces.
However, the earthquake once killed my dream. My home town, my photos, and my camera, were all washed away by the tsunami.
On the day of the earthquake I happened to be in Tokyo. I was nearly losing my mind being able to reach neither my wife who was in Rikuzentakata City where we lived nor my daughter who was at work there. Fortunately my nephew reached me that night reassuring me the safety of my wife and house. Later on I confirmed my daughter was safe, too. It was just so difficult to go back home from Tokyo.
Trains were stopped and roads were closed everywhere. On top of it I couldn't get any gasoline for my car. I finally reached my home 8 days after the earthquake. The sight of my home was so beyond imagination that I didn't even shed a tear.
Everything was washed away by the tsunami. Instead, it brought other families muddy belongings into my house. There I truly recognized the immense power of it. In the rubbles my wife accidentally found my camera as well as some of photo negatives covered with mud. And my daughter put them aside as she knew how much those were important for me. 2 months later even my neighbor brought me a muddy carton box filled with my photos and negatives he happened to find in his neighborhood.
Photos in this exhibition have so much to say. And the dream I had of holding a photo exhibition eventually came true by accident in a different shape. This tsunami was such difficult and sad experience, but I don't want to complain. The way people in my community stand strong and move forward is exactly how our fishermen live their everyday life, together with nature. Every time I witness such positive attitudes, I am determined to take even better photos and hold an exhibition in my home town which one day will be surely restored.
Shinichi Shida
Born in 1947. Ex Chief of Fire Department of Rikuzentakata city. Though he was already retired, he felt responsible for not having being able to save many lives. At the beginning he refused to offer his pictures to the exhibition. However, he realized his photos of hometown before the quake could encourage the people in the community and remind them how good life can be. Still living in City of Rikuzentakata, he participates to the restoration of the city.