Triggered: Matthew Pillsbury

Hanami #2, Chidorigafuchi, Thursday April 3rd 2014

Courtesy Edwynn Houk Gallery

Image and text by Matthew Pillsbury

In 2014 I received a Guggenheim fellowship to photograph in Tokyo. As I was planning my visits and the pictures I wanted to make, I made the decision to avoid the cherry blossoms as I felt it was too obvious and had been photographed too many times. The day of my departure to return home coincided with the first blooms opening in Ueno park, and upon seeing the crowds and the excited atmosphere surrounding this moment I knew I had made a terrible mistake. Less than 48 hours after landing in NYC, I was back on a plane returning to Japan. This photo was taken at dusk on my first day back in Tokyo at Chidorigafuchi- the park alongside the moat that protects of the forbidden city. Despite the persistent downpour, a crowd was gathered in admiration of the blossoms. This is one of the more elegant parks in Tokyo and has some of the biggest cherry trees I have ever seen. Through the wind and rain, they created a spectacular backdrop to the elegant people that were gathered to admire and photograph them.