KOOMOTE

• Photographer
  Hajime Hirano
• Technical Info
  SS 1/100 , f5.6 , ISO 200 , Full Frame
• Photo Date
  2025/07/01

Noh, japanese traditional art, those masks have such a variety meanings. This mask is called "KOOMOTE" means young and pure. The facial expression on the mask has various interpretations by each viewers. Also can be changed by light and shadow light is pleasure and shadow is saddnes. So now, what expression do you feel by "Masks?

My hometown, Saga Prefecture, is hidden famous production area of wheat in Japan. I have taken 80,000 photos of wheat fields for the past 8 years. By fascination of those vitality, I obtained a trademark registration for "mugigrapher®," means "a photographer specializing in wheat and barley" in Japanese. "Unusual always exists with usual days. Decay also exists with beauty." This perspective is connected to all of my photographic stances, including street snaps. I won "Sony World Photography Awards" 2023 Japan National Awards 1st Place and 2nd Place in the same category in 2024.