恋煩い

• Prize
  Bronze in Nature/Wildlife
• Photographer
  Yushi Kaisyakuji
• Photo Date
  2025/5/7

I think the Japanese word "恋煩い" is equivalent to the English expression "Trouble in Love". When love does not go well, when you cannot convey your feelings well, or when your feelings are misplaced. I am sure that everyone has felt indescribable at least once in such situations.These photos of Japanese macaques have expressions and gestures that seem to embody just such feelings. I hope you will immerse yourself in those slightly bitter, yet somehow nostalgic memories.

Yushi Kaisyakuji is a Japan-based photographer whose work centers on black-and-white portraits of wildlife, seeking to reveal the emotional architecture that lives beneath the surface of each creature. Rather than documenting appearances, he strives to capture the inner pulse—the quiet dignity, tension, and resilience—that defines a living being. His approach follows the tradition of photographers who believed that the camera can carve out the soul of its subject, not merely its outline.