「博多の街が好き　輝いている姿を見たいから」参加できない悔しさ胸に・・・博多祇園山笠、舁き手の目線で撮り続ける女性

The Hakata Gion Yamakasa festival reached its finale with the Oiyama Yamakasa in the early morning of the 15th. RKB photographer Chiaki Honjima followed a woman who, captivated by the festival, has been photographing the portable shrines (kakiyama) every year. The magnificent portable shrines (kakiyama) race through Hakata. "Oisa! Oisa! Oisa!" The magnificent portable shrines (kakiyama) race through the streets of Hakata. Mai Nishimura (29 years old) "Here we go! Let's run!" "Go! Go! Go!" The photographer is Mai Nishimura, an office worker from Fukuoka City. She made her "Yamakasa debut" at 7 months old. Her family runs a specialty shop for "Okyuto," a local Fukuoka dish, and she helps out at the shop. Mai Nishimura "Yes, no one else had this." - Her father, Moriya Nishimura "The theme at that time was 'Momotaro's Arrival.' Well, she was about 7 months old. Even as a child, she wasn't treated differently from the other children in the children's group just because she was a girl. She carried the banner (board) just like any other boy. I think she naturally developed an organizational sense of how the Yamakasa festival was run, even as a child. However, I think it's cruel to her that she had to give up those things once she reached a certain age." - Mai Nishimura "I was watching from a park bench. Ah, it really can't be taken out anymore. It was like I was seeing a fantasy, it was reality, but it felt like I was seeing a fantasy. I was just staring blankly." "The Yamakasa Festival That Couldn't Be Taken Out": Photographed from Junior High School Mai started taking photographs in junior high school. In high school, she joined the photography club and continued to take pictures of the Yamakasa festival every year. Mai Nishimura "My family is participating, so I'm taking pictures of my dad, uncle, and brother with my smartphone camera. That's the kind of feeling I get. Before I knew it, all sorts of people started asking me to take their pictures. When I'm holding a camera, everyone makes peace signs, right? So I thought, 'Oh, it's okay to take pictures!'" "Osshoi, osshoi" Mai Nishimura "Finally. I feel like I'm moving from stillness to movement." "Yay! Oisa, oisa" Mai Nishimura "I'm not going to push myself too hard anymore." "She often takes great pictures from the perspective of a float bearer." It was the people of Yamakasa who accepted Mai when she could no longer participate in the Yamakasa. Nakasu-ryu General Affairs Masanori Tateiwa "He's a great photographer. I've known him since I was little." - Float Bearer "Well, his perspective is that of a float bearer, so I think he captures the best parts well." - Float Bearer "When he comes to take pictures of the Yamakasa like this and cheers us on, it feels like he's participating in the same thing as us, and I think that's the passion he has. If he can capture the Yamakasa that Mai-chan sees, it makes us feel grateful." - Mai Nishimura "People from Hakata, or Hakata in general, are like people who participate in the Yamakasa, so..." I want to see people shining, and I love seeing people shining. That's why I go there to take pictures. I think that's because I really love Hakata. In a town you belong to, everyone is like family, like relatives, and you learn a lot from those people, and if you mess up, you get yelled at, but it's also a place where you learn, so I hope that Yamakasa and the town of Hakata will continue to be a place that teaches you that way." Nishimura Mai: "Okay, I'm taking the picture!" RKB Mainichi Broadcasting Cameraman: Motoshima Chiaki For more details, check out NEWS DIG! ↓ https://newsdig.tbs.co.jp/articles/-/...