Ritsusuke Koshiba (RYUSUKE KOSHIBA)
Born in 1978, this photographer is self-taught and learned photography while traveling around Asia during their student years. While visiting dozens of countries, they encountered and were fascinated by the Bajau people, who live on houseboats at sea. The photographer continued to follow the Bajau way of life and held a solo exhibition at Konica Minolta. Since then, they have created various works and won numerous awards in contests.
〇Awards
2013 Konica Minolta Photo Premio
2013 Hikoma Ueno Award, Kyushu Sangyo University Award
2015 Nikon Photo Contest, Honorable Mention
2016 Nikon Photo Contest, Honorable Mention
2018 EPSON meetup, Selected
2019 Photo City Sagamihara, Bronze Prize
〇Solo Exhibition
2013 "Bajau ~ Life above the sea ~" (Konica Minolta)
〇Contributions
2008 "Holy Land of Travelers: Hunza" (Japan-Pakistan Association)
Reason for embarking on a journey:
When I was a university student and joined the exploration club, I was fascinated by survival activities such as "can a person survive for 7 days on a deserted island?" and "canyoning," which involves climbing waterfalls.
One day, my sister's study abroad in Australia prompted me to think about trying overseas travel.
I set out on a journey with the idea of crossing Australia and then traveling to Turkey via Hong Kong. The trip was full of excitement and adventure.
Reason for starting photography:
The most exciting place I encountered during my 10-year journey in Asia was Yemen. The people of this country, dressed in unique ethnic costumes and carrying blades on their waists, walk the streets. The city itself is also full of surrealism. Because of the situation, foreigners are rarely seen. I fell in love with this country.
After returning home, I excitedly told my family and friends about the greatness of this country. However, I felt that I couldn't convey it well enough.
Come to think of it, I felt that I had not been able to fully convey the stories of my travels that I had talked about so far.
I began to feel that I had just been bragging.
When I thought about how to convey the comfort I felt, I wondered if I could do it with photos. So, with a camera in hand, I set out on a journey again.
Encounter with the Badjau tribe
With a camera in hand, I started my journey in search of a place that could provide me with the same level of excitement as Yemen. Unsatisfied with the information provided by guidebooks and fellow travelers, I found myself idly browsing the world map on Google Earth, hoping to stumble upon something that would pique my interest.
And then I saw it: a strange sight hovering above the Philippines. Something was floating in the middle of the sea. I zoomed in for a closer look and saw what looked like a house on the water, with a small boat floating nearby. I couldn't quite make sense of what I was seeing, and my online search for information yielded little results. Nevertheless, my excitement was mounting. I didn't know where this place was, I had no information about it, and I had no idea what the situation was like there - but I knew I wanted to go.
So, armed with only a printed copy of the aerial image, I set out for the Mindanao Islands in the Philippines. It wasn't until later that I discovered the people living there were the Badjau tribe, and that this was the beginning of my journey with them.
Beginning as a photographer
When I visited the Badjau, I was drawn to them and continued to take photos of their lives. I didn't know why I was drawn to them, but I felt like the Badjau had something important that I was in danger of losing. Gradually, I began to think about "what is truly important in my life?"
The Badjau live in economic hardship, but they make up for what they lack by caring for each other and helping each other. Watching them, I felt reassured and at ease. I began to want to know why these things were important to me.
I think that the act of taking photos unconsciously reveals what I am truly seeking at that moment. By reviewing many of the photos I took, I hoped to find the answer.
I brought photos that I felt showed what was truly important in my life, through the ordinary daily lives of the Badjau, to Konica Minolta. As a result, Konica Minolta supported my exhibition costs, and I was able to have a solo exhibition.
From then on, I created works on subjects such as ruins, flowers, and zoos, and began to walk the path of a photographer, achieving numerous awards and accolades.
※今後の展望
世界中の人々との出会いを求め、旅を続け、人々の表情やその瞬間の雰囲気を写真として納めたいと考えています。「人生にとって一番大切なことは何ですか？」と出会った人々にこの質問を投げかけ、彼らの回答とともに撮影した写真を集め、写真集としてまとめることを検討しており、また、SNSやウェブサイトを通じて多くの人々に共有していきたいと考えています。
多様な人々との出会いを大切にし、彼らの物語を通じて、世界中の文化や豊かさを感じ取ってもらえるように努め、また、その情報を多くの人々と共有することで、世界の多様性や文化を広めていきたいと考えています。