The Hagi Festival Workshop
by George Nobechi
This workshop is on hold indefinitely, pending safer conditions for travel.
In Fall of 1980 Sam Abell spent five weeks in the small coastal city of Hagi, Japan on assignment for National Geographic. This led to a lifelong relationship between Sam and Japan, a relationship that was rekindled in 2016 when Sam returned to Hagi with George Nobechi. In 2017 Nobechi Creative produced a retrospective exhibition of Sam’s iconic work and the first Hagi Festival Workshop involving both local and international photographers took place. In 2019 an updated exhibition was held, showcasing not only Sam’s work from 1980, but also his and George’s photographs of their subsequent visits reconnecting with the families of the people whom Sam photographed forty years ago. George led a concurrent workshop “in the Sam Abell School of Photography,” which has no walls but is a state-of-mind: the pursuit of humanity, quiet moments and the wabi-sabi aesthetic, much in the same way that the historical hero of Hagi, Shoin Yoshida, the father of the Meiji Restoration taught many years ago.
Each November, the Hagi Jidai Matsuri (town festival) takes place and the local community dresses up to partake in a parade, dances and general merriment while dressed in traditional attire. It is a proud occasion for the very proud people of Hagi. It is also perhaps one of Japan’s quietest festivals. You will not find many taiko drums here. As the sun sets over Hagi’s distinctive hillsides you will close your eyes and listen to the sound of bells, shuffling footsteps in straw sandals on the pavement and the occasional call of “Yoooooooooo” as the men toss spears to each other. The workshop is centered around this festival as a focal point and seeks to build bridges, despite language barriers between locals and visitors. The workshop is limited to five or six international photographers and a similar number of local Hagi citizens, who are gifted participation by Nobechi Creative’s funds for Hagi.
The workshop is designed for photographers of all levels who are happy to spend time connecting with people, occasionally putting down the camera in exchange for a sake cup extended by a friendly local, and to happily integrate with the community. It is not suitable for those who are looking to photograph iconic Japanese locations or are unwilling to be flexible. You should be relatively fit, able to walk a few miles each day along the festival route, which is fortunately flat, and capable of some degree of independence in a safe, rural community (Google Maps helps!)
Most days are structured around critiques conducted in both English and Japanese by George at the beautiful Hagi Meirin Center, then visits to various locations around the historic Old Town. On the two weekend festival days, critiques are eschewed as we spend the day from dawn until after dusk photographing the parade events.
NOTE: Sam himself is not leading this workshop. The workshop’s purpose is to continue to nurture Sam’s special relationship to Hagi and to support the town’s people through photography and international friendship.