Ken Kato

2003, Japan, Photography

The white lotus flowers Like the fishes in the deep sea Radiate from among the lotus leaves “The fishes in the dark depth of sea must illuminate by emitting its own light.” It is the same in a society that is as dark as the deep sea, that all hope will be lost unless we illuminate ourselves from within, these are the word...

Ken Kato

2013, Japan, Photography

The quiet torch That touched my heart like a flame The pure white curled ear of the Calla The pure white calla is beautiful like a white torch that shines on our heart. A torch can never be white but I would like to call it a white “torch” because it lights up my heart.

Ken Kato

c. 2010s, Japan, Photography

The lone white cluster amaryllis Blooming in the empty house of a deceased woman Dazzles my eyes Is the white cluster amaryllis an incarnation of the deceased woman as it blooms in her garden, with no owner. But do we overcome sad parting so long as we are alive.

Ken Kato

2000, Japan, Photography

The color purple of columbine within me The noble, passionate and wise color Will some day Make my sorrow transparent The color purple, in the past when dyes were valuable, were considered a noble color since the ancient times. Emperor Juntoku of Kamakura Period was exiled on Sado Island after the Jokyu War. There is an ane...

Ken Kato

2001, Japan, Photography

The lingering twilight Paints the slopes crimson red Of the glistening snow-capped Mount Fuji The slopes of Mount Fuji are tinted red by the setting sun. A dark cloud approaches but stops above the mountain. The sun pours its light over the cloud that is reflected at the foot of the mountain. It is a photograph that has cap...

Ken Kato

2003, Japan, Photography

While evening gradually sets upon Mount Fuji in the distance The order of the Universe Is set ablaze never to fade As darkness start to paint the sky crimson red, yet light in the universe is never fading. The message that this photograph conveys is that in this rhythm of the universe and in the movement of all things in na...

Ken Kato

2003, Japan, Photography

The small red bud of lotus Its lovable innocence Is all the more dignified The lotus flower still in its red pure bud is all the more precious.

Ken Kato

2000, Japan, Photography

The worm eaten lotus leaf Though sad Yet radiates in gratitude for the unwavering devotion (Kenshin) The lotus leaf lets insects eat the most precious and soft part of it. Yet the remaining leaf itself is so beautiful even after a sad loss because of its commitment and gratitude to others. The word Kenshin is used here ...

Ken Kato

2014, Japan, Photography

The vermilion trumpet creeper That blossom in my garden Brings fond recollection There are many cypress and cedar trees in the area I live now but it is difficult to find bright vermillion colors. After leaving the leprosarium and returning to the outer world, while walking with my father we noticed a beautiful trumpet cre...