Until my late thirties, my primary focus was solely on presenting works through solo exhibitions. However, when the number of film rolls I had accumulated exceeded 7,000, I was struck by a fear: if I were to die now, all the work I had done so far might disappear as if it had never existed. That fear led me to create the photobook asterisk.
The style I adopted—like a message in a bottle, with neither profitability nor a clear chance of success—continues to this day through my label, asterisk books. At the root of this value system lies MOLE UNIT, created by Motoi Tsuda. Photographers such as Osamu Kanemura, Erika Yoshino, Mitsugu Onishi, and above all Akira Yoshimura were part of it. I intend to express, in my own way and with greater richness, the rare fortune of periodically encountering works shaped by an editor’s vision.