shashasha

Since the time of the Great East Japan earthquake of 2011, I have continued to photograph trees located in places that suffered damage from the earthquake and Tsunami. In taking these photographs, I gradually became aware of rocky crags that seemed to be like islands floating on the land. For the most part, pine trees grow on these crags, which are landlocked, but which once had probably been surrounded by the sea.
These crags are generally cordoned off by a ceremonial rope, and are treated as holy areas. An island floating on the sea, and island trapped by land, an island floating on the land… each is an interesting subject.
I imagine that an island floating on the land, still hasn’t forgotten the ocean that once surrounded it, even if the sea is now many miles away.

— from Toru Komatsu’s afterword