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Masashi Mitsui

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Squeeze red / ID: india15-25373
Squeeze red
A worker at a dye factory is compressing a bundle of strings that has been dyed red. In the concentrated movement of the man dedicated to his work, I was aware of an inner glow that seemed to emanate from him. They say that these threads will be used to weave brightly colored fabrics, and that the fabrics will be sold not only domestically, but also shipped overseas to countries in the Middle East and Africa. These factories, whose manufacturing process is entirely dependent on manual labor, do not seem untouched by the waves of globalization.
(Tamil Nadu, India 2015)
Journey of the shepherd / ID: india18-45296
Journey of the shepherd
A shepherd called Diru, whom I met on the plains of Gujarat state in western India, was dressed in white indigenous garb, wearing a white knit cap, and leading a flock of about 200 sheep. The shepherds were living in their own time, which flowed in as leisurely a fashion as the clouds across the sky, harnessing the powers of nature. Without relying on modern devices, they grasped naturally all the information needed to find grassland and water.
(Gujarat, India 2018)
Red chili peppers / ID: india18-23248
Red chili peppers
Chili pepper markets are the most exciting markets in India. When the workers toss up the peppers to dry them, the pungent ingredient “capsaicin” (a chemical component) is released in large quantities, triggering uncontrollable tears and dripping noses. Although the workers here must have been ‘pros’ in dealing with capsaicin, they were continually sneezing and coughing with tears running down their cheeks.
(Andhra Pradesh, India 2018)
Buddha statues of marble / ID: my18-01542
Buddha statues of marble
In Myanmar, where 80% of the people are Buddhists, making Buddha statues is very popular. Particularly in the city of Mandalay, located in the central part of the country, many workshops specializing in sculpting marble statues border the streets. Artisans carve out a rough shape with an electric cutting tool, and then work on details with chisels and files. At the work site, where the artisans were surrounded by marble dust permeating in the air, they were so covered white, they looked like stone statues themselves.
(Mandalay, Myanmar 2018)
Pattern of hand printing / ID: india16-45721
Pattern of hand printing
These craftsmen are hand printing a pattern on fabric for sari, a traditional Indian garment. A stencil screen is placed over a fabric, which is fixed to a board; then they force the ink through the screen with the pressure of their arms to transfer the design. The work requires precision and physical strength. In recent years, an increasing number of factories are adopting machine printing. However, it is said that hand printing remains more efficient for making products in small batches, as well as for printing on thin fabrics.
(Gujarat, India 2016)
Cotton country / ID: india17-36290
Cotton country
These people were picking cotton in Gujarat state in western India. The country is the largest cotton producer in the world, and it is grown nationwide, particularly in arid regions. The harvest is still done by hand as labor costs remain low. In other words, cotton production accounts for and sustains many jobs in this country. Raw cotton will be turned into threads at a spinning mill, and then woven into fabrics for making traditional clothing such as sari and lungi.
(Gujarat, India 2017)
Picking lotus flowers for Buddha / ID: my16-18318-2
Picking lotus flowers for Buddha
A young man on wooden boat was picking lotus flowers in a marsh. Lotus, known to bloom all the more beautifully in a muddy pond, has a special meaning to Buddhists, who make up 80% of Myanmar’s population. They are often sold in front of temples as an indispensable offering in Buddhist rituals.
(Rakhine, Myanmar 2016)
Land of Rohingya / ID: my17-06118
Land of Rohingya
I saw people working with dignity and pride even in harsh conditions, as they calmly tilled the fields and sowing seeds. Though facing an unreasonable situation and poverty, they carried on whatever they were demanded of them. “Both my father and grandfather have tilled this soil,” a Rohingya villager told me. “Someday, my children and grandchildren will too. This is our home, and we are not leaving, no matter what anyone tells us.”
(Rakhine, Myanmar 2017)

Chemical green strings / ID: india17-12495
Chemical green strings
This man was working at a dye factory in Andhra Pradesh state in southern India. He was carrying a bundle of chemically dyed green strings over his shoulder. Indians prefer vivid hues close to primary colors. With the intense sunlight typical of this country, loud and bright colors seem to work better than pale ones.
(Andhra Pradesh, India 2017)
Water is key of life in arid / ID: india19-73180
Water is key of life in arid
The State of Rajasthan in northwest of India is an extremely arid region where rain falls only for four months in a year, during the rainy season. Therefore, securing water is always a big issue for the local community. For storing rain water, villages have tanks, from which women draw the water to carry home in their pots. They balance these water pots on the tops of their heads because it is the easiest and the most stable way to carry it.
(Rajasthan, India 2019)

Masashi Mitsui

1974 Born in Kyoto City, Kyoto, and currently lives in Tokyo.
1998 Graduated from the Faculty of Engineering, Kobe University. Worked for two years at a precision machinery manufacturer, Dainippon Screen Co. Ltd. (now SCREEN Holdings Co., Ltd.) as an engineer.
Dec. 2000 – Oct. 2001 Traveled around the Eurasian continent on a motorcycle.
Since then, has visited 39 countries, mainly in Asia, and photographed the lives of ordinary people.
Also writes and gives lectures extensively, based on his experiences during these shooting trips.
Won the grand prize for the 2018 Nikkei National Geographic Photo Award.

To learn more about Masashi Mitsui, visit his website: https://masashimitsui.com/