A photo project about the touching relationship of a grandmother and grandson preceding the tragedy
Nothing lasts forever, including our parents and grandparents. When the time comes and old age does not allow them to take care of themselves, usually younger family members, most often a daughter or son, become the only help they can count on.
But in the case of photographer Akihito Yoshida's grandmother, his younger cousin became her mainstay. Despite the 60-year age difference, the grandmother and grandson got along well and did absolutely everything together — from shopping trips to water treatments. "While I was growing up, I bathed in my grandmother's love," said the photographer's cousin. "So it's totally normal that I'm taking care of her now."
Yoshida noticed a special bond between them when he came to visit them in a small town in Miyazaki Prefecture, Japan. The photographer asked permission to take pictures of them. Grandmother and grandson agreed. So it turned out to be a very personal and family project, the work on which was interrupted by an unexpected tragedy.
Yoshida began to visit his cousin and grandmother more often. Each time he filmed a new facet of their amazing relationship. The photographer wanted to have as much time as possible before Grandma's death.
However, his plan was not destined to come true. In 2014, the cousin disappeared without any trace, leaving not even a note to friends or family. For a whole year, grandma tirelessly waited for his return, spending all her days at the window in the hope of seeing her grandson.
Unfortunately, she did not wait for her youngest grandson. His body was found under fallen leaves near the hill. Devastated by the news of the suicide of the man she loved most in her life, her grandmother died a year after his tragic death.
Due to such sad circumstances, Akihito Yoshida suspended work on the project and its publication. Although the grandmother and grandson were happy to shoot and agreed to it, the photographer could not get rid of the feeling that the pictures were too personal.
In the end, Yoshida decided it was time to move on. He realized that he had to show the world the amazing love that he was lucky enough to document. He called the series of photographs "Fallen Leaves". A photobook with the works of Akihito Yoshida will be published in the summer of 2017 and released in 111 copies — that's how many years his grandmother and cousin lived in total.
Keywords: Grandmother | Grandson | Love | Suicide | Photographer | Photo series | Japan