December 2024 issue Hideo Mori's contribution "Recording memories from the sea, from the sky"-Reader present-

　When Akarengasoko was a bonded area, there was little traffic, and there was a fence and the inside was not well known. It was when I stayed in a car near the warehouse to take pictures of the port early in the morning. Lilies bloomed all over the Akarengasoko over the fence. I wondered if I was still dreaming. Today it has been reborn as one of Yokohama's leading tourist destinations, but the beauty of the contrast between white lilies and red bricks remains clearly in my mind.

　For me, people are the same as landscapes.
　There are always no people who are there, and then the landscape changes. That was the legendary prostitute Mary. The appearance of walking in a white dress on a white-painted makeup was strange, but it was elegance and elegance, and it was like a stage actress. As I grew older, the appearance began to be painful, but I think the people of the city accepted the existence while rumoring to the mouth. I became keen to take a picture of Mary.
　With the permission of the person himself, I continued shooting for several years. When I went to places like Isezakicho and Basyamichi, I turned my lens from a little far away. One day, Mary disappeared suddenly. There is nowhere to go to the place where you should be. I felt so uncomfortable that the scenery of Yokohama could look different in me.
　And I shoot when both the scenery and people are worried, and I think that is my role and have been up to the present day.

　And as a new work, I photographed the steelworks of Ougishima, which I had been concerned about for many years at the time of aerial photography. Nowadays it is so popular that the word "factory night view" is called, but I have always liked factories, and when I entered the factory area of Kawasaki from Yokohama Port, my feelings were uplifted. Unlike the illuminations of the city, it is a weak light source with an emphasis on function, but it will float in the dark and make you feel the warmth that can not be said. I am deeply impressed that the factory was so close to people.
　It took a long time to get permission to shoot Ougishima, but it was the place I really wanted to shoot. I thought I had to take a picture. It was because I knew that I would notice the size of existence only after I lost it.
　If you think it's strange and strong, you will meet someone who cooperates with you. It was just before the factory was shut down. We were able to record until the moment the fire of the second blast furnace disappeared. It has been 10 years since I decided to take a picture of Ougishima and started moving.
　The bright red steelworks that flow out and the steam that cools up with the roaring sound. I believe that the photos taken while feeling the burning temperature reflect a sense of heat.
　At around 3 o'clock in the middle of the night, the siren rang and the operation stopped. I can't forget the moment when tears overflowed in the eyes of the working people and holding their shoulders.