RETURN TO THE SEA

Believing that violence can be “another form of affection,” photographer YOUNG HAMA @young__hama has spent the past 6 years documenting the Wakimisaki Gion Festival in Nagasaki.

This book is the culmination of that long-term project, documenting the Wakimisaki Gion Festival held in the fishing town of Wakimisaki, Nagasaki.

Often referred to as the “Fighting Festival,” the event reaches its climax with bare-knuckle brawls between participants. Perhaps it is the fishermen’s way of life, shaped by the sea and the constant presence of death, that gives rise to this tradition.
Through his camera, YOUNG HAMA has continued to capture the instinctive, untamed side of human nature revealed during the festival.

His fascination with the lives of fishermen has since evolved into a new photographic project. Rather than observing from the outside, he chose to become a tuna fisherman himself. He is currently aboard a distant-water fishing vessel, documenting the experience from within.

Why Should You Buy This Book?

• Witness a festival few outsiders ever see - This book takes you inside one of Japan’s most intense local festivals. YOUNG HAMA’s photographs place you at the heart of the action, capturing moments of violence, adrenaline, and emotion that are rarely witnessed, let alone documented.
• Experience YOUNG HAMA’s monochrome photography at its full scale - Designed with large landscape spreads, this book allows each photograph to breathe. The immersive layout lets you appreciate the richness, texture, and intensity of his black-and-white work in a way that digital screens never can.
• Support the next chapter of the project - This publication is part of a much larger journey. YOUNG HAMA is currently working aboard a distant-water tuna fishing vessel to continue documenting the lives of fishermen from within. Every purchase directly supports the continuation of this long-term photographic project.

This is more than a document of a festival. It’s the beginning of a much larger story, one that now stretches from a small fishing town in Nagasaki to the open sea.

Book Details

• Photographs by YOUNG HAMA
• 210 × 297 mm (A4)
• 120 pages
  
• Printed in Japan
• Publish Date: April 2026

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