Tebajima is a small island in Tokushima Prefecture, to the south of the town of Mugi. With the population shrinking to fewer than forty people (down from about one thousand less than a hundred years ago), life on Tebajima is slow and marked by the tight-knit community of the remaining islanders, most of them over 70 years old. In his book “Tebajima,” Hajime Kimura offers both a record – through photographs and written interviews – of the island and a representation of the locality of culture and memory, and their erosion by the passage of time. Originally intending to stay on the island for fifty days, Kimura expanded the scope of the project to become more familiar with the villagers and their way of life. Working together with editor Tadashi Shinohara and designer Sho Momma, Kimura’s “Tebajima” breaks up its loosely themed chapters with over thirty interviews that capture personal anecdotes and memories, building a denser and deeper image of the island’s history.

first edition