Owara Bon Customs

• Prize
  Bronze in Advertising/Travel/Tourism
• Photographer
  Shunsuke Kanamori
• Technical Info
  Ilce-7m4, F7.1, Shutter Speed 1/1250, Iso640, Focal Length 97mm, Ev-0.3, Apps Photoshop.
• Photo Date
  2025-09-02

Owara Bon Festival in Toyama City, Toyama Prefecture, Japan. This is a festival where people dance while hiding their faces with woven straw umbrellas. The reason for hiding one's face is said to be a remnant of the time when people used to hide their faces with hand towels to hide their status or to hide their embarrassment. This photograph, characterized by light and shadow, conveys the historical background of the Owara Bon Festival in a more impressive way.

I'm based in Toyama, Japan. I've been in poor health for the past few years, so I started taking up photography as something I could do. Around last year, when my health started to improve, I became interested in pursuing photography as a professional. At a company, I had experience creating pamphlets and other materials aimed at the general public. I am currently getting in shape and preparing for a new photography job.