I Killed the King With My Lies

..August 2020.. ..Nagasaki..

“Every portrait has a silent voice.” -Itaru Takahara

写真とは、 声なき声。 高原至

I received the sad news that Mr. Itaru Takahara passed away on August 5th. He was 97 years old. Takahara-san survived the atomic bombing of Nagasaki and the firebombing of Tokyo five months prior.

I photographed Takahara-san in July 2010 when my hibakusha (atomic bomb survivor) portraits were exhibited in Nagasaki. Takahara-san was a famous photographer who published a book documenting the ruins of the Urakami Cathedral. The atomic bomb detonated over Urakami which was home to the largest cathedral in eastern Asia. The cathedral was smashed and half of it’s steeple was tossed down a hill. Takahara-san spent years after the war documenting children playing and services being held in it’s ruins.

When I first met Takahara-san he asked me where my book was. I laughed and told him that no publisher was willing to print a book of my hibakusha (atomic bomb survivor) and firebombing survivor portraits. I jokingly told him if I ever got a book offer he would have to write the introduction. A week later I was interviewed by ZERO NEWS, a national television show in Japan. The next day I was offered a book deal in Japan. Takahara-san wrote the introduction to my book, FROM ABOVE, that still inspires me to live every moment with a burning passion.

Takahara-san was a brilliant photographer but was an even better person. He had an infectious laugh, a zeal for life and the same weakness for chocolate cakes that I have. He paid attention to every minute detail of a photograph and saw beauty in silence. He reinforced that the importance of a photograph came from the emotion it resonated! The feelings are all that matters.

I will miss Takahara-san but the years I knew him left a permanent smile in my soul. You’ll always be my friend.

You can see Takahara-san somewhere in the middle of this documentary shot about my project FROM ABOVE. http://www.paulepictures.com/blog/?p=6834