Guardian

After the death of her father and the 2011 T?hoku earthquake and tsunami, Yukari Chikura found solace by travelling to a remote village to document the 1,300-year-old annual ceremony.

Photobook Journal

Douglas Stockdale

Yukari Chikura began her documentary journey to maintain Zaido as an on-going event and a cherished personal memory [...] She intertwines saturated color documentary-style photographs, surrealistic color impressions with lyrical black and white images with delicate tonal shades produced on a variety of papers. This results in a mash-up of documentary ‘facts’ with lyrical poetics, which in her hands is a brilliantly designed and executed narrative.

Art Daily News

Editors

Combining photos of snowscapes that border on abstraction with images of the intricate masks and costumes of Zaido, Chikura depicts the cultural diversity of the participants as well as their common bond in creating collective memory and ensuring the survival of this ritual.

Financial Times

Chikura’s elegant photographs present a society frozen in time.

Photo Eye

Elizabeth Avedon

Opening from a slipcase to reveal a brilliant peacock-blue linen cover, we are taken on a journey through her photographs, printed on luminous silvery papers. Included is a separate Folk Tale booklet, map and a hand-made fortune by Chikura, wishing each person good health and happiness. Brilliant.

What Will You Remember?

In this handsome and carefully designed book, Chikari’s photographs of a snowy retreat and its winter rituals are magical, a spiritual affirmation of the human capacity for connection and continuity across centuries .

International Examiner

Adam Rosenbeck

A unique visual display that immerses viewers into Zaido’s wintry world [...] A shared experience between audience and photographer.