Op-ta-teske, New Land, Pre-Hokkaido Landscape | Toshiki Nakanishi | Case Publishing 2023

The absolute protagonist of Toshiki Nakanishi's new book is the nature of the mountains of Hokkaido, so pristine and devoid of the presence of man that it seems to come from another world. A breathtaking journey through the Daisetsuzan mountain range.

“Nakanishi photographed his latest series New Land in the mountains of the Daisetsuzan National Park in central Hokkaido, from Mt. Asahi to Mt. Tokachi. Until 1845, when the Japanese explorer and cartographer Takeshiro Matsuura set out to survey the islands of Iturup, Kunashir, Karafuto, and Ezo (later renamed to Hokkaido), the region was still known by the Ainu name Optateske. As the “roof of Hokkaido”, the Daisetsuzan National Park is home to the island’s largest peaks, many of which are active volcanoes. Because of the unique landscape and the beauty and diversity of the alpine flora, the Ainu also call these mountains the “Garden of the Gods.”
In Nakanishi’s photographs, the unspoiled natural landscapes seem as if they were taken on a distant planet. In the contrast of the lingering snow, the serene atmosphere, the expressiveness of the changing clouds, and other details, Nakanishi recognized the larger mechanisms of the universe. Although shot in black and white, we can hear the colors of the world singing to us through his photographs.” - from Kazuko Sekiji’s afterword