moom bookshop

Keisho Okamoto (1937-2024) was a Zen monk deeply rooted in Miyako Island and one of the earliest folklorists to undertake the study of Okinawan folklore. Beginning in the latter half of the 1960s, before the reversion of Okinawa to Japan, he conducted extensive fieldwork primarily in the village of Karimata, delving into the folk culture of the region under the influence of leading Japanese scholars such as Kunio Yanagita, Shinobu Orikuchi, and Kitaro Nishida.

This book compiles photographs taken by Okamoto between the late 1960s and late 1970s as part of his practice of folklore as local studies. His lens captured the rituals and ceremonies of Karimata, Shimajiri, Ikema Island, Nishihara, Kurima Island, and Sunagawa. What emerges from these images transcends their role as research materials: they are unembellished portrayals of people expressing gratitude to the gods and to nature, deeply immersed in prayer. As Okamoto was not a professional photographer, his images project a reality free from artistic manipulation, offering a raw and intimate perspective on these sacred moments.

The book also presents works by Daichiro Arashiro, who overlays Okamoto's photographs with layers of indigo and ink, layering the present over the past to create a space for rebirth. Following Okamoto's passing, his invaluable academic materials--including photographs, notebooks, audio recordings, and artifacts--were continuously preserved by his grandson, Arashiro. The past recorded by Okamoto intersects with the present lived by Arashiro, resurrecting the photographs into the contemporary world and forging a dialogue across time. Furthermore, the academic perspective titled "Okamoto's Approach to the Study of Folklore" by folklorist Takanori Shimamura and the contribution by photographer Naoki Ishikawa add depth to this exploration of cultural continuity and transformation.

The title, "Sudiru," is a word from the Miyako language meaning "rebirth" or "resurrection." Through the dialogue between Keisho Okamoto and Daichiro Arashiro, this book invites us to reflect on our roots and poses questions to a world where diverse cultures and values intersect, offering a new perspective on the present.

Keisho Okamoto

Keisho Okamoto (b. 1938) served as head priest of Ryuhozan Shoun-ji, a temple of the Myoshin-ji school of Rinzai Zen Buddhism, founded on Miyako Island in 1611. Alongside his temple duties, Okamoto was also a tireless folklorist who conducted research on the indigenous folkways of Miyako Island before Okinawa's reversion in 1972.

Okamoto was a keen observer of shamanism on Miyako Island, drawing on his perspective as a Zen monk to explore the island's spiritual culture as seen in its folk beliefs and myriad village rituals. He worked to preserve fossils and folk tools gathered around the island, along with artifacts that had survived at Shoun-ji temple. Much of his collection was donated to the Miyakojima City Museum and the Okinawa Prefectural Museum, where these precious materials can be seen today.

Okamoto was involved in the creation of the Miyakojima City Museum as a member of the Hirara City (present-day Miyakojima City) museum council, the committee for the protection of cultural properties, and the historiography committee.

As both a religious scholar and native son of Miyako Island, Okamoto's extensive firsthand research into the local beliefs, customs, and terroir was instrumental in furthering an understanding of the island's folklore. His books include Beliefs and Rituals of Miyako Island, published by Dai-ichi Shobo.

1961 Graduated from Hanazono University, Department of Zen Philosophy
1965 Named head priest of Shoun-ji Temple
2011 Beliefs and Rituals of Miyako Island published by Dai-ichi Shobo
2019 KEISHO MYAHK 196X photo exhibition held at Gallery UESUYA
2022 SUDERU exhibition held at PALI Gallery
2024 Died at age 87

Daichiro Shinjo

Daichiro Shinjo (b. 1992) was born and raised on Miyako Island, Okinawa. Introduced to the world of Buddhism from an early age by his grandfather, the folklorist and Zen priest Keisho Okamoto, Shinjo first began practicing calligraphy at the age of four. Building on his upbringing steeped in the teachings of Zen and the spiritual culture of Okinawa, Shinjo brings contemporary new light to calligraphic traditions with his own free style, unbound by traditional calligraphic forms.

A graduate of the Shizuoka University of Art and Culture, Shinjo's work has been exhibited widely both in Japan and abroad. In 2017, he presented his first solo exhibition, Surprise, at Playmountain Tokyo. In 2023, he made his international exhibition debut with a solo show at the ALTA Gallery in Los Angeles. Shinjo has also collaborated with fashion brands such as Comme des Garçons and Hermès, appearing in the latter's documentary film series Human Odyssey in 2021. Shinjo currently resides on Miyako Island, where he founded the artist residency and gallery PALI in May 2022.

2014 Graduated from Shizuoka University of Art and Culture
2017 First solo show, Surprise, held at Playmountain Tokyo
2022 Opened PALI Gallery
2023 First international solo show, Black Wax, held at ALTA Gallery, Los Angeles
2024 Participated in the Dancing With All: The Ecology of Empathy exhibition, held 21st Century Museum of Contemporary Art, Kanazawa