Tatsuki Masaru  became an independent photographer in the late 1990s after studying under Kyoji Takahashi, photographer mainly familiar to Japanese audiences for his commercial and fashion photography but also an independent image-maker producing photos, films and installations. Exploring folkloric myths and the reality of people’s life in Japan, each of Tatsuki’s photography series is the result of a long-term research and engagement with his subject matter. As such since 2006, Tatsuki Masaru has been visiting the Tohoku Region regularly, well before the 2011 earthquake devastated the region.