Postmortem Photography made its way over from the west along with the spread of the camera.
When photography was still rare, images of the deceased helped the surviving family members deal with their grief.
The Postmortem Photographs that still exist in Japan used the same methodology as their western counterparts, but the significance seemed to differ.
Those taken here in the Mt. Hikami region, especially, seem to embody a certain melancholic beauty.
I believe these photos were the work of a scientist named Kunihiko Aso. Having researched photos from other areas as well, it seems he was the one behind many of them.
His surviving records indicate a determination to use photography to "capture the soul."
Seeing these strange and captivating photographs, I've come to believe he had some degree of success in doing so.
An old friend of mine used to call cameras "lonely boxes."
I'm not sure if he meant that the subject appears trapped alone in this dark box when viewed through the viewfinder, or that looking through the viewfinder meant peering out through the dark, all alone.
At any rate, I find those words have a certain resonance.
Folklorist's Notes 3
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Folklorist's Notes 3 | |
| |
| Kanji | 民俗学者の手記 三 みんぞく がくしゃ の しゅき さん |
| Game | Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water |
| Author | Keiji Watarai |
| Chapter | Fifth Drop: The Veiled House |
| Located at | Watarai Residence, Hallway to Staircase |
| Obtained | On the bookshelf |
| Description | Notes written by Keiji Watarai, the folklorist. They're about Postmortem Photography. |
| Additional Description | There was an old notebook on the bookshelf. It seems to be about Postmortem Photography. |
| Related Notes | Folklorist's Notes 1, Folklorist's Notes 2, Folklorist's Notes 4, Folklorist's Notes 5, Folklorist's Notes 6, Folklorist's Notes 7, Folklorist's Notes 8 |
死後写真はカメラの伝播と共に、
西洋から伝わったものだ。
それは、まだ写真が珍しかった頃、
亡くなった家族の姿を残し、遺族の悲しみ
を慰めるというものだ。
日本に残されている死後写真は、西洋の
ものと行為としては同じだが、その意味性
は違うように思う。
特に、この日上山一帯に残されている
「弔写真」と呼ばれる写真たちの
美しさ、悲しさは、特別なものを感じる。
これらの写真は、科学者「麻生邦彦」博士
が残したものだと思われる。
他の地方のものも調べたが、彼は当時、
各地で「弔写真」を撮っていたようだ。
彼は「魂を写す」ことに執着したという
記録が残っている。
この不思議と惹きこまれる写真たちを
見ていると、彼の目的は成功していた
のではないかとさえ思えてくる。
かつて、写真機を「孤独の箱」と呼んだ
友人がいたことを思い出す。
孤独の箱というのは、被写体を暗い箱の
中に閉じ込めるという意味なのか、
写真機を覗く人間が一人で暗い箱の中を
覗いているのという意味なのかはわからない。
ただ、その言葉がこの写真のイメージと
不思議と重なるのだ。