The series chronicles a meeting of two forces. Takano was exploring how to capture his own sense of beauty prior to meeting Kikuo. However on meeting Takano's path changed to centre on Kikuo; a stout, naked, middle-aged man, lying on a sofa bed. He speaks of the transcendent power of the ugly Takano explains, “the beauty and strength I was seeking seemed like an armor masking the inevitable weakness of human beings. However, I could not easily accept the situation that the photos I take with all my efforts would lose to the ones I took unceremoniously.”
As Duncan Wooldridge mentions in his foreword, Ryudai Takano's photographs are showing us “how to rethink vision”—and he begins to let us know the multifaceted world and its diversity through his photographs. Displayed in a book for contemplation we relish the opportunity to sit with this master.