Partners
: Work
The data was sent to me by photographer Ryuichi Ishikawa in a folder named 'Tattooed Couple'. The man had large tattoos that made him look like a non-ordinary person, and upon closer look in Ishikawa’s photos, his ring finger and pinky were missing on his left hand; the pinky was missing on his right hand. This is a practice known as otoshimae in the world of the Japanese mafia. The woman had tanned skin and blonde hair. They were an unusual couple; even if you saw them on the street, it would be difficult to talk to them.
Photographer Ryuichi Ishikawa has been following this couple since 2011. Ishikawa describes the first time he saw them as follows:
"They didn’t seem to be having a particularly good time: they were just walking, staring straight off into the distance. The midsummer sun had warmed the concrete; the heat drifted aimlessly. They were wearing a t-shirt and a tank top, faded and carelessly stained with sweat, dragons and carp peeking out from their bodies, their skin burned further by the sun. I nervously ventured to ask if I could photograph them. "Yeah, why not?" "Sure, that’s fine." Even as they conferred with each other, their gazes never faltered, fixed, without fail, straight ahead.
I finished taking photos and our conversation continued without incident; our eyes had only met for a few seconds at most. As we were about to part, I asked if I could possibly photograph their house as well. They lived nearby and had no other plans, so we went straight there. They continued to hold hands the whole way home."
They are always together, whether they're at home or out for a quick shopping trip at the nearest convenience store. So much so that it almost feels like they'll never be apart. I also got to watch a bit of the video Ishikawa filmed. The two of them have hours of pillow talk before going to sleep. When Naoko on bed asked, "Let's listen to that song," he grabbed his phone while smoking a cigarette and placed the phone between them. Then Michael Jackson's 'We Are the World' started playing.
PHOTOGRAPHY & TEXT by Ryuichi Ishikawa EDIT by Takuhito Kawashima This story was published in PARTNERS #2
Photographer Ryuichi Ishikawa is based in Okinawa Prefecture, the southernmost prefecture in Japan. Ishikawa took portraits of passersby in Okinawa in his series "Okinawa Portraits 2010-2012" and its sequel "Portraits 2012-2016". Ishikawa met these people by chance on the street, exchanged contact information after shooting, and became connected with them as if they were friends. Around 2015, I heard that he was going to shoot in Paris, so I followed him for a week, and what I got from that was his flat gaze on people. I was able to witness that he does not judge people with prejudice. This project was commissioned to Ishikawa. I think that through this project, I was able to convey the importance of seeing what exists between people, no matter what their background or appearance.