The Price for “Progress”

http://www.newint.org/issue372/exposure.htm

 
 Shinzo Hanabusa is yet another artist to be featured in the upcoming
festival of photography, Chobi Mela III. Hanabusa's work on Japanese
farmers provides a fascinating insight into the cost of 'progress', in a
nation like Japan.

The Second World War had adversely affected farming in Japan. I began
producing a documentary on farming in 1962. The farmers were not getting
a fair price for their milk. Then Japan started importing powder milk
and things got really bad. In 1966 I heard rumours that the farmers in
Akita were setting up a resistance movement. Following newspaper leads I
went over to the locality. I was very upset, when I saw them throw the
milk from the bridge as a sign of protest, at the fact that they had
been reduced to this. But a big publication, Ewanami Shoten, printed the
photograph and it helped turn things around a bit, so I felt good
afterwards. I have since become known as 'The Milk Photographer'. I hope
the publication of this photograph in Southern Exposure helps farmers
around the world get a fair price for their produce.

Shinzo Hanabusa, Japan