![]() ![]() The words he uses to describe his work are very characteristic of his style. In his design research, Endo “combines elements of Japanese and Western traditions, creating dynamic, fluid spaces that practically erase the borders between interior and exterior, and between the traditional elements of the architectural language.” (Treccani)Įndo himself has often remarked on the importance of looking to the ancient history of architecture (Greek, Roman, Egyptian, as well as traditional Japanese architecture) to find stimuli and inspiration in the present. He established his own firm two years after graduating, and has lectured at the universities of Boston, Tianijn, and Kobe. "From now on, I would like to continue conveying Minamisanriku's charms," Abe says.Among contemporary Japanese architects, Shuhei Endo (1960) plays a leading role thanks to the many projects carried out with his firm Paramodern, which he founded.Įndo graduated from Kyoto University of Art in 1986 and worked with the architect Osamu Ishii, but he often points to his many travels around Japan and beyond as his most important source of learning. Abe has also begun selling postcards of his paintings of local marine products and seaside scenery. "When I returned to Minamisanriku, I fished out of a sense of duty, but since I began to draw the caricatures, I've also begun enjoying fishing," he says. However, through his art, Abe has changed too. ![]() While Abe rebuilt his house, his seaweed-processing facility is still not up-and-running, and his fishing catch remains less than half of what it was before the disaster. I was able to take the first step in continuing to live on after her." Abe also created a work of a smiling Miki surrounded by the happy faces of her relatives for Endo. "He drew Miki's kind smile, which wasn't captured in photographs, that melts my heart," Endo says. Abe repeatedly visited Endo's home in order to draw the caricature, and through small talk, he came to learn about Miki. At the end of 2011, he received just such a request from 59-year-old Mieko Endo, who had lost her 24-year-old daughter Miki. Abe says he was happy with the sincere response to his work, and his caricatures gained popularity.Ībe even drew those lost in the disaster upon request. An older woman joked and laughed with him about her wrinkles, and children were overjoyed with the drawings of their likeness. While drawing, people would open up to him when he told them that he had also lost his home and workplace in Minamisanriku to the tsunami. Then he remembered a part-time job he had as a student drawing caricatures and headed to the evacuation centers with his supplies in hand. "Isn't there some way I can cheer them up?" Abe thought. When he watched the news on the TV, he was met with images of people lying down wrapped in blankets in Minamisanriku evacuation centers. While his home and workplace where he sorted seaweed and other products were washed away by the tsunami, Abe and his family escaped to safety on higher ground. ![]() Two years later, the Great East Japan Earthquake struck Minamisanriku. Deciding that he could not make a living through his art, he set his brush aside and became a fisherman. However, when his mother fell ill in March 2009, his life changed. He studied painting at Tokyo Zokei University, and held exhibitions of his pieces while working part-time and temporary jobs. Six years have already passed since he began his work.Ībe was born into a fishing family in Minamisanriku, but his true passion was art. "What kind of juice is that?" - "You lost a tooth, huh?" Abe makes conversation with children on the beach as he draws their expressions. While Abe once gave up his dream to be an artist to continue the family fishing business, he now says, "I want to draw caricatures that capture the humanity of the residents and scenes of Minamisanriku from the perspective of a fisherman." From the summer of 2011, 39-year-old Hirofumi Abe has continued to draw caricatures of people living in the affected areas, as well as capture the seaside scenery following the earthquake and tsunami disaster. ![]()
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