Ise Jingu and the Origins of Japan
Photographs by Miori Inata
May 7 - June 3, 2016 / FCCJ Main Bar
In 1991, I moved from my home in Japan to New York City, where I spent the next ten years. My world changed, however, as I watched the terrorist attack of 9/11 from my apartment window. I spent the following year in a haze of depression, before eventually coming to the realization that there must be a key to peace somewhere. I began a pilgrimage in search of answers at holy sites around the world. The moment I set foot on Ise Jingu grounds I could tell that it was a special place. Jingu's simplicity is strong and beautiful, and it speaks to me deeply with its energy. Ise Jingu is the ultimate expression of humans not only living in harmony with nature, but living "as" nature. Like anyone else who follows the news, I have been watching as our world is increasingly wracked by horrific events. I feel, however, that Ise Jingu and the philosophy it represents could serve as a beacon of light for humanity, becoming not only a treasure for Japan, but for the entire world.
Miori Inata graduated from Tama Art University in Tokyo with a major in oil painting. Following a photography course at Southampton University, she began her career with a camera, focusing on the people of New York and the city's culture. After returning to Japan, she has photographed the most revered site of Japan's Shinto religion, Ise Jingu. Her photographs have appeared in a number of periodicals, including the Washington Post, Yomiuri Shimbun, Vogue Japan and Aera. She has held exhibitions at United Nations, Colombia University, Brooklyn Botanical Garden, Harvard University, Tokyo National Museum, Shanghai Asian Society, the Israel Museum and many other locations.
The Exhibitions Committee