​You can view the recording of the day of reading the story of "that person" captured by Cho Geun-jae on YouTube.

Lecturer Naoko Nishiura (curator The National Hansen's Disease Museum)　

Cho Geun-jae (1933-1997) was born in Aichi Prefecture as a second-generation Korean resident of Japan. Since visiting residents of Korean origin at Tama Zenshoen Zenshoen in 1961, he has continued to photograph at various sanatoriums over the course of 20 years, taking a total of approximately 20,000 photographs at each sanatorium. He earned the residents' trust by sharing their meals and sleeping quarters with them, and left behind many close-up photographs of the residents who had avoided being photographed. He is also notable for turning his lens on Korean residents of Japan and members of the blind community, and for not shying away from depicting discrimination within the sanatoriums and disabilities caused by Hansen's Disease.
More than 200 of these works are on display at the special exhibition "Cho Keunjae Photography Exhibition: Darkness Below, Light Above - Coal Mines, Koreans, and Hansen's Disease" (Saturday, February 4th to Sunday, May 7th, 2023) held at the Maruki Gallery for Hiroshima Panels since February this year. In the research for this exhibition, many new discoveries have been made about Cho's footsteps and photographs, while research and exhibitions on Issues related to leprosy have been actively focusing on the creative activities of residents who continued to be isolated even after recovery, providing a wealth of perspectives for reinterpreting the photographs and writings left behind by Cho Keunjae from both the perspectives of those photographed and those who took them.
This time, we will focus on how Cho Geunjae's photographs and texts capture the contemporary residents not just as a group, but as "individuals." We hope that many people will view the exhibition as an attempt to pass on the memories of those who lived in the sanatorium.

Upper left in the ward 1961 Tama Zenshoen
Upper right, outer wall of the cell, 1966 Kuriu-Rakusenen
Bottom left: Demonstration for doctors, 1972, Tokyo
Bottom right (from left) Cho Nezae, Moon Shou Bong, Kinso Gwon 1980 Tama Zenshoen
(All photographed by Cho Nezai)

Outline of the event

[Date and Time]
Saturday, June 3, 2023, 14:00 to 15:30

[How to hold the event]
Zoom webinar (100 people) / In-person (20 people) (hybrid)
*Applications will be accepted from 4:00 p.m. on Friday, March 3rd.
*If you would like to participate in person, please apply using Google Form.
*If you would like to participate online, please register via Zoom webinar.
*Please note that depending on the status of COVID-19 countermeasures, the event may be held online only.

[Application acceptance period]
Friday, March 3, 2023, 4:00 PM to Saturday, June 3, 2023, 12:00 PM (Registration will close once capacity is reached)

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"Reading the Story of 'That Person' Taken by Cho Geun-jae" Event Report

Lecturer Naoko Nishiura The National Hansen's Disease Museum Curator)

More than 100 people participated in the gallery talk "Reading the story of 'that person' photographed by Nezai Cho", which was delivered for the first time as a hybrid event.
On the day of the event, the route taken by Cho Nezai when he visited Tama Zenshoen for the first time will be shown using photographs of Cho Nezai, his memoir "Brothers of Hansen's Disease," and a Inside the sanatorium of Tama Zenshoen. I found it. I hope you have seen how the “places and people” of Zenshoen were told by the guide Kimpogyoku (Hoshi Kaneko, a Tama Zenshoen resident), written in words and photographs by Cho Nezai. .
In the second half, the photographs of Jiro Sawada taken by Cho Nezai at Kuriu-Rakusenen are superimposed on Sawada's autobiography and novels, and Cho Nezai witnesses the life of "that person" named Jiro Sawada, and "that person." I traced the process that expressed the existence of "people". There are many photographs of “Leprosy sanatorium” and “Leprosy patients and Former leprosy patients,” but Cho Nezae’s photographs are none other than photographs of “the person” living, and each person walks a different life. I told you that it is something that resists the gaze that singles people out as "Leprosy patients" and targets them for isolation and exclusion.

From the questionnaire

• I saw Cho Nezai's photographs at the permanent exhibition, the previous special exhibition "The Sprouts of Life", and the special exhibition at the Maruki Museum, and I was impressed by the fact that they were works that transcended documentary nature. Mr. Nishiura's introduction this time is about Cho Nezai's gait, how he viewed people, and his relationship with Jiro Sawada. So, it was very helpful. I would be happy if you could connect it to the planning exhibition. (venue)
• It was very stimulating to see how the meaning of the title, the story of "that person," gradually became clear as the story progressed. I once again thought about the importance of Cho Nezai's work, or rather the importance of watching and reading. I thought it was a different photo from the reportage. I think that work that does not fit into existing genres may be due to self-study, but I would like to reconsider the methodology that Cho has elaborated. (venue)
• While vividly feeling the harshness of time, it was a valuable opportunity to feel the definite footprints of Mr. Sawada and others who lived in that place through the tool of photography. It was a documentary photograph, and I was deeply touched by the photograph that exudes humanity. (online)
• I heard that Mr. Cho Nezai's photographs are not the "attributes" of the photographs of people Hansen's Disease I wanted to see (online)
• The "context" that existed at various levels is reinterpreted as a rich "water vein" that should be called an asset for humankind. It was a wonderful lecture. Happy to hear it online. Thank you Nishiura-san and all the staff! (online)
• I understood well the importance of Mr. Cho Nejae building a relationship of trust with Mr. Kim Bong Ok and Mr. Jiro Sawada and recording the life of "that person". I was impressed by Jiro Sawada's realization of his own magnificence reflected in Mr. Cho's film. On the other hand, while Mr. Sawada was involved in community Resident Association activities, I could see that he had recovered mentally. Thank you for the meaningful event. (online)
• What kind of perspective can those who are non-participants and have accepted a society based on a mechanism of discrimination and exclusion hold? I thought it was one of the sincere efforts about The background of what Mr. Cho Nezai wanted to copy. In order to know the way of life of the person whose body is photographed, texts and maps other than photographs are clues. I felt that this method would also help me learn about the lives of people who didn't know how to write or didn't know how to write. (online)
• I was impressed by the phrase "a collaboration between the person who is copying and the person who is being photographed." I am relieved that the desire of the two of you to leave a record of "discrimination within discrimination" to the world has been passed on in the form of storage and disclosure at The National Hansen's Disease Museum. (online)
• It was interesting to see how the photographer traced the past of Zenshoen while referring to old maps with photos and notes as clues. I was also touched by the episode when the person who was the subject of the photo said that your photo is a mirror for me. (online)

… We have received many other answers. Thank you very much.

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≪Contact us≫
The National Hansen's Disease Museum Museum Talk Manager mt@nhdm.jp
*We are unable to respond on closed days or after 12:00 on the day of the event. Please contact us in advance.