Masahisa Fukase: Absence and Memory

 By Jonathan Shih

1974 marked the beginning of an extraordinary photographic project by Japanese photographer Masahisa Fukase, one that blended the personal with the universal. Every morning, from the window of their Tokyo apartment, Fukase captured his wife, Yōko Wanibe, as she walked to work. This series, which initially might have seemed like a simple daily ritual, transformed into a deeply poetic exploration of love, routine, and the passage of time. The photos were not just a documentation of Yōko’s commute; they became a visual love letter, chronicling the tender, unspoken intimacy of their relationship and the quiet beauty of ordinary life.

Masahisa Fukase was already an acclaimed photographer, known for his deeply emotional and experimental work. His art often reflected themes of solitude and fleeting connections, shaped by both personal and cultural influences. His photographs of Yōko, however, took on a more direct and sentimental tone, contrasting with his later, more melancholic series like Ravens. In these daily images, Fukase captured Yōko’s silhouette as she moved through the bustling Tokyo streets, sometimes blending into the urban scenery and sometimes standing out as a lone figure. The series encapsulated the rhythms of life in 1970s Japan, a country undergoing rapid modernization yet holding onto its traditional values of dedication and routine.

Though the marriage between Fukase and Yōko eventually ended in divorce, these photographs remain an enduring testament to their connection. The series is often interpreted as both a celebration of love and a meditation on loss, as the act of photographing Yōko became, over time, an exploration of absence and memory. Fukase’s work invites viewers to consider the ephemeral nature of relationships and the ways in which art can preserve fleeting moments of intimacy. Today, the series stands as a poignant intersection of personal narrative and universal emotion, solidifying Fukase's place as one of Japan's most compelling visual storytellers.