Hirohito Nomoto is a Japanese photographer who’s work takes an unemotional look at the effects of the 2011 Tsunami & Earthquake in Japan.
The aftermath of the March 11, 2011, massive earthquake and tsunami that struck the Pacific coast of the north-eastern region of Japan was complete devastation. Hundreds of kilometers of coastal area were affected with approximately 380,000 buildings suffering damage and about 120,000 completely destroyed.
This series is a record of some of the structures damaged by the disaster. The photographs of the facade of each building were taken using techniques of architecture photography that allowed me to keep my emotions at bay, in order to depict the scene as naturally as possible. The aim of this work was to present the viewer an image of what happened there on the day. Most of the buildings in the series were pulled down and do not exist anymore.
On March 11, 2011, a massive earthquake followed by a devastating tsunami struck the Pacific coast of the north-eastern region of Japan. This series captures the buildings that were left standing and those that were swept away by the tsunami.
Approximately 120,000 buildings were completely obliterated, turning into more than 20 million tons of rubble. Mangled beams, pillars and whole sections of roofs, furniture and all kinds of household goods form now huge heaps, up to 20m high, of debris that still remain on the disaster areas. Every single piece of debris shot for this series is a footprint of human activity. The aim of this work is to record that with extreme detail. For this reason, one of the works is composed of hundred millions of pixels to create one single ultra high resolution photograph, an overwhelmingly high-resolution image that would enable the viewer to imagine what happened there.