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| Kashima Jingu Ichi no Torii |
About the show
Some words for familial relationships in the Japanese language are relative (no pun intended). There are unique words, for example, to describe the relationships within your family that are different from the words used to describe the relationships between someone else's family. Likewise, the words for sister are linked to the age of the individuals, with unique words for older and younger sisters. Ane 姉 means older sister and imōto 妹 means younger sister.
Eureka and its sister city of Kamisu, Japan, have a similarly complicated relationship. Based on the age of each city, Kamisu should be the older having been settled as a village since before Japan’s Middle Ages (Eureka was incorporated a city in 1874). However, the modern city of Kamisu was formed in 2005 by a merger of the former town of Kamisu and the neighboring town of Hasaki. As such it is a little older than ten years, making it the younger of the two.
The city commemorated its 2005 incorporation with a ceremony in August of 2015. It invited its Sister City Eureka to attend, and Harvey II and Holly Harvey of the Ink People’s DreamMaker program Horai Center represented the City of Eureka at the ceremony. The photographs in this exhibit were taken during a brief introduction to Kamisu’s people, her industry, natural beauty and cultural treasures. The contrast of the ancient and the modern was a source of constant fascination.
You may view the exhibit in an online gallery here.
Mounted prints are $75.00 each. A portion of the proceeds from this exhibit benefit the Eureka-Kamisu Sister City Association. Inquiries for additional prints are welcomed. (Obi are for display only and are not for sale.)
About Kamisu
Kamisu is port city with a population of 93,550 about 55 miles northeast of Tokyo. Kamisu and the surrounding area is considered rural by Japanese standards. Originally a fishing and farming region, it has grown rapidly in the years following World War II. It is home to one of the world’s largest artificially-created deep water ports in Asia, and because of its proximity to Tokyo it is ideally situated for the region’s cargo shipping, light and heavy industry, power generation and clean energy development. The region is still renowned for its agriculture, especially green bell peppers, or piman, which are shipped fresh daily to Tokyo. Despite modernization and trending industry — and perhaps because of it — the people of Kamisu cherish their cultural heritage and natural resources.
Relationships are fragile, complicated things. We are born into them as infants. We create new ones with each person we meet. We try to end them with a mouse click. Taken for granted, relationships languish. Given attention, they may flourish.
About the Eureka-Kamisu Sister City Association
The EKSCA works to maintain the sister city relationship and to foster cultural exchange and mutual understanding between the citizens of the two cities. It is developing a network for, student exchanges and family home stays. For more information, visit www.eureka-kamisu.org or connect with us on Facebook, www.facebook.com/EKSCA.
Updated Dec. 9, 2016
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