HITOMI WATANABE
1968-1969―Behind the Blockade
Published by Zen Photo Gallery, 2015
Book Size 25.7 x 17.8 cm
Pages 48 pages
38 images
Softcover
Language Japanese, English
Limited Edition 500
Hitomi Watanabe's Tokyo University 1968-1968 – Behind the Blockade documents the student protests held at Tokyo University in 1968-1969. From clashes with riot police to student discussions, the photographs vividly capture life within the University walls where routine and riot were played out behind the backdrop of the international anti-war movement.
1968 was a year of instability – with the prolonged Vietnam war, student protests in Paris, repression of Czechoslovakia by those countries which were shaken by the “Prague Spring”. America saw the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy. On the other hand, the Apollo mission landed on the moon the following year.
1968 was also the year I began photography. I wandered around downtown Shinjuku with a camera, capturing people and whatever caught my attention. One night, I came across a crowd causing great turbulence in Shinjuku. I learned that it was an international anti-war protest. Before that, the Vietnam War had seemed to me merely transmitted information from the media, but I felt its reality after joining the protest. As the Riot Police searchlight lit up students' helmets in the heaving crowd, their silhouettes would shiver violently. Student Power in Japan became a powerful tide fighting against society.
Around that time, I stepped foot into Tokyo University's Hongo Campus for the first time, and met Yoshitaka Yamamoto, who was then representative of Todai Zen-kyoto. He inspired me. It was he who made me so determined to document the Todai protests. Inside the barricades actually was an open space, into which non-local students, the general public and even high school students could go.
Forty-seven years have now passed since then, and some memories are dimming – but film creates new memory. The spirit of Zen-kyoto is brought back to life.
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Tokyo University 1968-1968―Behind the Blockade by Hitomi Watanabe documents the student protests held at Tokyo University in 1968-1969. From clashes with riot police to discussions with students, the photographs vividly capture life within the walls of the University where routine and riot took place in the context of the international anti-war movement.
1968 was a year of instability - with the prolonged Vietnam War, student protests in Paris, the repression of Czechoslovakia by countries shaken by the "Prague Spring." America saw the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy. In contrast, the Apollo mission landed on the moon the following year.
1968 was also the year I started photography. I walked around downtown Shinjuku with a camera, capturing people and anything that caught my eye. One evening, I came across a crowd causing a great commotion in Shinjuku. I learned that it was an international anti-war demonstration. Before that, the Vietnam War had seemed to me just a news story transmitted by the media, but I felt its reality after joining the demonstration. As the riot police's spotlight illuminated the helmets of the students in the stormy crowd, their figures shook violently. Student power in Japan had become a powerful wave of struggle against society.
At that time, I entered the Hongo campus of the University of Tokyo for the first time and met Yoshitaka Yamamoto, who was then a representative of Todai Zen-kyoto. He inspired me. He was the one who made me so determined to document the Todai protests. Inside the barricades was actually an open space, where non-local students, the general public, and even high school students could go.
Forty-seven years have now passed since then, and some memories are fading - but the film creates a new memory. The Zen-kyoto spirit is brought back to life.
1968-1969―Behind the Blockade
Published by Zen Photo Gallery, 2015
Book Size 25.7 x 17.8 cm
Pages 48 pages
38 images
Softcover
Language Japanese, English
Limited Edition 500
Hitomi Watanabe's Tokyo University 1968-1968 – Behind the Blockade documents the student protests held at Tokyo University in 1968-1969. From clashes with riot police to student discussions, the photographs vividly capture life within the University walls where routine and riot were played out behind the backdrop of the international anti-war movement.
1968 was a year of instability – with the prolonged Vietnam war, student protests in Paris, repression of Czechoslovakia by those countries which were shaken by the “Prague Spring”. America saw the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy. On the other hand, the Apollo mission landed on the moon the following year.
1968 was also the year I began photography. I wandered around downtown Shinjuku with a camera, capturing people and whatever caught my attention. One night, I came across a crowd causing great turbulence in Shinjuku. I learned that it was an international anti-war protest. Before that, the Vietnam War had seemed to me merely transmitted information from the media, but I felt its reality after joining the protest. As the Riot Police searchlight lit up students' helmets in the heaving crowd, their silhouettes would shiver violently. Student Power in Japan became a powerful tide fighting against society.
Around that time, I stepped foot into Tokyo University's Hongo Campus for the first time, and met Yoshitaka Yamamoto, who was then representative of Todai Zen-kyoto. He inspired me. It was he who made me so determined to document the Todai protests. Inside the barricades actually was an open space, into which non-local students, the general public and even high school students could go.
Forty-seven years have now passed since then, and some memories are dimming – but film creates new memory. The spirit of Zen-kyoto is brought back to life.
----------
Tokyo University 1968-1968―Behind the Blockade by Hitomi Watanabe documents the student protests held at Tokyo University in 1968-1969. From clashes with riot police to discussions with students, the photographs vividly capture life within the walls of the University where routine and riot took place in the context of the international anti-war movement.
1968 was a year of instability - with the prolonged Vietnam War, student protests in Paris, the repression of Czechoslovakia by countries shaken by the "Prague Spring." America saw the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy. In contrast, the Apollo mission landed on the moon the following year.
1968 was also the year I started photography. I walked around downtown Shinjuku with a camera, capturing people and anything that caught my eye. One evening, I came across a crowd causing a great commotion in Shinjuku. I learned that it was an international anti-war demonstration. Before that, the Vietnam War had seemed to me just a news story transmitted by the media, but I felt its reality after joining the demonstration. As the riot police's spotlight illuminated the helmets of the students in the stormy crowd, their figures shook violently. Student power in Japan had become a powerful wave of struggle against society.
At that time, I entered the Hongo campus of the University of Tokyo for the first time and met Yoshitaka Yamamoto, who was then a representative of Todai Zen-kyoto. He inspired me. He was the one who made me so determined to document the Todai protests. Inside the barricades was actually an open space, where non-local students, the general public, and even high school students could go.
Forty-seven years have now passed since then, and some memories are fading - but the film creates a new memory. The Zen-kyoto spirit is brought back to life.