It’s a regular little seaside town, and the place we’re staying in is a traditional Japanese guest house. We walk up to the late Miyamoto-san, who is in charge of the annual organization, and greet him. He’s going over the daily routine together with Tanaka-sensei.

Tanaka-sensei is a master swordsman and martial arts teacher, who has fought in the Afghan war in the 1980′s by training the Mujaheddin in different combat and sword fighting techniques. He is here to teach the recruits meditation techniques, unarmed and armed combat, and bodyguard practice.

4.30 am. Wake-up time. Every morning there is a meditation session on the beach, right at the water’s edge. All recruits and a dozen family members are sitting in the sand at equal distances from one another. While Tanaka-sensei corrects postures, everyone sits still, eyes closed, listening to the waves breaking on the beach, the mind empty.

At 5.30 am, still before breakfast, the first training of the day starts: Hand to hand combat techniques.

Breakfast, lunch and dinner are all prepared and eaten together. The food is a fresh as can be, fish caught in the ocean right outside the door. Everyone earns their keep by helping wherever they can.

There are three intense training sessions every day, and in between, exhausted, there seems to be no other option but to rest in the dorms. And with days starting this early, most recruits go straight to bed after dinner. Meanwhile, Tanaka-sensei, Tanamoto Kaicho, Miyamoto-san and the other family members, drink a beer and discuss the schedule for the next day, which starts yet again by rising at 4.30am.

Greeting Nakata-sensei, master swordsman, I realize very quickly that i am extremely lucky to be able to witness and photograph this…

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Most of the images are under embargo right now, but i hope to be able to release them over the next few weeks and tell the story… but I didn’t want to hold back setting the mood already…

Needless to say, i am very proud to be part of this event… the opening is March 15th, the festival runs till April 15th…

Go ahead, jump in the car and be there, take a look in person, soak it in, and support me by buying a limited edition print!

oh and… you can view a pdf of the leaflet.

cheers,
anton

proud to tell you that “sugar” is being featured over at burn magazine, an evolving journal for emerging photographers….

burn is curated by magnum photographer and dear friend david alan harvey…

The story “sugar” will be featured on slideluck potshow DC III this weekend (saturday nov 15th, 7.00pm EST). They teamed up with Fotoweek/DC. i feel greatly honored to be included… so please go and check it out.

playing with friends
riding the bike
four insuline injections
each and every day

barbie dolls and trampolines
beaches, oceans and corn flakes
seven daily blood checks
baby-G with six alarms

intimate, close
always happy
sometimes pain
she’s an angel.

“Sugar” is a story about Birgit, a six year old sweet kiddo. She’s been diagnosed with diabetes about a year ago. Incurable. This story is about how, through her, I myself am being confronted with the fact that her illness is much more of an issue to me than it is to her. She taught me a lesson there… The things that are on top of a kid’s list, should in fact be on top of anyone’s list:

Life is about playing with friends and family and having fun as much as you possibly can.

These intimate, close images, are freeze-frames out of her daily life. Random. Lots of different moments. Almost no visual context. Bare essentials. More about feeling the moment than looking at the moment.

There is no beginning and no end. A collection without order. You will recognise inside, outside, darkness, light, a bike, a bed or even a beach. But they are all irrelevant…

Just try to hear the laughter, hear the playing… Remember your own childhood… Feel like you’re there up close with her, her brother and her sister. Sometimes she will notice you and say hi. Sometimes she will play and laugh with you until her stomach aches. Sometimes you feel like you need to let her be, dreaming.

She stares into the sea.

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Sugar has been published on Burn Magazine, Slideluck Potshow DC III 2009, and has been exhibited in the Milan Photo Festival VIII 2009. More info here…