髙地二郎
Jiro Kochi
Photography
ようこそ！昭和の銀座へ
父、髙地二郎は、戦後復興から高度成長へと希望溢れる時代を駆け抜けたサラリーマンの一人です。1951年から40年間、通勤や仕事の合間に銀座の風景を撮り続けました。
当時、シンガポールに在住していた私が父の押入れや天袋にぎっしり詰まっていた包みや箱を開けたのは、父が亡くなった2010年から数年経ってからのことでした。中身は無数のネガフィルム、写真、ビデオテープ 等々。シンガポールでゆっくり整理しようと思い、その大半を送りましたが、ネガフィルム等はすぐに中身が見られず、さらに時が過ぎていきました。
ある日、シンガポールのラッフルズホテルにあるライカギャラリーの写真展を目にした時のことです。父が晩年ライカカメラを手にしている姿が蘇り、ここに一枚でも父の写真が展示されたら父がどんなに喜ぶことだろうか、と思いました。このことが発端となり、ライカ社のご好意を得て2020年のライカギャラリーシンガポール、2021年のライカGINZA SIXでの写真展へとつながりました。
ライカギャラリーでの写真展をきっかけに、まだ中身をみていないネガフィルムに何が映っているのかもっと見てみたいと思い、スキャンを始めました。たくさんの懐かしい家族の写真もありましたが、とりわけ、昭和の銀座界隈の写真は、私には初めて眼にするものばかりで、一つ一つスキャンしながら、まるでタイムマシーンに乗っているかのように当時の世界を感じたり、父がその一コマを撮った瞬間に思いを馳せたりしました。
半世紀以上前の昭和に撮った銀座界隈の写真の数々、多くの皆様にご覧いただけたら幸いです。
ようこそ！昭和の銀座へ
父、髙地二郎は、戦後復興から高度成長へと希望溢れる時代を駆け抜けたサラリーマンの一人です。1951年から40年間、通勤や仕事の合間に銀座の風景を撮り続けました。
当時、シンガポールに在住していた私が父の押入れや天袋にぎっしり詰まっていた包みや箱を開けたのは、父が亡くなった2010年から数年経ってからのことでした。中身は無数のネガフィルム、写真、ビデオテープ 等々。シンガポールでゆっくり整理しようと思い、その大半を送りましたが、ネガフィルム等はすぐに中身が見られず、さらに時が過ぎていきました。
ある日、シンガポールのラッフルズホテルにあるライカギャラリーの写真展を目にした時のことです。父が晩年ライカカメラを手にしている姿が蘇り、ここに一枚でも父の写真が展示されたら父がどんなに喜ぶことだろうか、と思いました。このことが発端となり、ライカ社のご好意を得て2020年のライカギャラリーシンガポール、2021年のライカGINZA SIXでの写真展へとつながりました。
ライカギャラリーでの写真展をきっかけに、まだ中身をみていないネガフィルムに何が映っているのかもっと見てみたいと思い、スキャンを始めました。たくさんの懐かしい家族の写真もありましたが、とりわけ、昭和の銀座界隈の写真は、私には初めて眼にするものばかりで、一つ一つスキャンしながら、まるでタイムマシーンに乗っているかのように当時の世界を感じたり、父がその一コマを撮った瞬間に思いを馳せたりしました。
半世紀以上前の昭和に撮った銀座界隈の写真の数々、多くの皆様にご覧いただけたら幸いです。
Welcome to Showa Ginza（1950-1990）!
My father, Jiro Kochi was a “salaryman” or white-collar professional who lived through a very hopeful time in Japanese history, from postwar reconstruction to rapid economic growth. From 1951 he commuted daily to his workplace in Ginza. He was an avid photographer and for the next
40 years he photographed scenes during his commute and in and around Ginza.
It wasn’t until several years after my father’s death in 2010 that I finally opened the packages and boxes
crammed in his closet. What I found inside were countless rolls of negative film, photographs and videotapes. I sent most of them back to Singapore where I was living at the time in order to slowly sort through them, but I couldn’t check the contents of the negative film right away, so I had to put this off for along time.
One day, I saw a photography exhibition at Leica Galerie Singapore in Raffles Hotel. I recalled the image of my father holding a Leica camera in his later years and imagined how happy it would have made him to see even one of his photographs displayed in such an exhibition. With the kind support of Leica Singapore, this led to photo exhibitions of his work at Leica Galerie Singapore in 2020 and at Leica GINZA SIX in 2021.
After the exhibitions, I became even more curious about what was recorded on the negative film, the contents of which I had not yet viewed, and began scanning. In addition to many nostalgic family photos, there were photographs of Ginza that I had never seen before. While scanning each one, I was transported to the moment when my father had taken the shot, as if I had stepped into a time machine.
I hope that many people will enjoy the photos my father took over half a century ago.
Welcome to Showa Ginza（1950-1990）!
My father, Jiro Kochi was a “salaryman” or white-collar professional who lived through a very hopeful time in Japanese history, from postwar reconstruction to rapid economic growth. From 1951 he commuted daily to his workplace in Ginza. He was an avid photographer and for the next
40 years he photographed scenes during his commute and in and around Ginza.
It wasn’t until several years after my father’s death in 2010 that I finally opened the packages and boxes crammed in his closet. What I found inside were countless rolls of negative film, photographs and videotapes. I sent most of them back to Singapore where I was living at the time in order to slowly sort through them, but I couldn’t check the contents of the negative film right away, so I had to put this off for along time. One day, I saw a photography exhibition at Leica Galerie Singapore in Raffles Hotel. I recalled the image of my father holding a Leica camera in his later years and imagined how happy it would have made him to see even one of his photographs displayed in such an exhibition. With the kind support of Leica Singapore, this led to photo exhibitions of his work at Leica Galerie Singapore in 2020 and at Leica GINZA SIX in 2021.
After the exhibitions, I became even more curious about what was recorded on the negative film, the contents of which I had not yet viewed, and began scanning. In addition to many nostalgic family photos, there were photographs of Ginza that I had never seen before. While scanning each one, I was transported to the moment when my father had taken the shot, as if I had stepped into a time machine.
I hope that many people will enjoy the photos my father took over half a century ago.
Biography
