Vintage Clothing: Something We Can No Longer Touch

—Will actual garments from that era be featured in the commemorative book?

Harley-Davidson provided some excellent actual pieces, which we also photographed. These are items destined for the museum, but what bothered me during the shoot was that all the museum staff were wearing gloves to handle them. I've never worn gloves to photograph a leather jacket before. You can't touch them, you can't verify the feel. How can you truly understand something like that? It made me realize that vintage clothing, which we love so much, has become something that requires such treatment. I used to think, 'It's vintage, it's okay if it tears,' but it has become something we can no longer touch. It's regrettable, but it signifies the end of an era. I believe this trend will only accelerate in the next decade.

—That's a sad thought.

Indeed. If I can't touch it, I'm not sure I care about it anymore. Shooting things I can't touch doesn't excite me, it's not enjoyable. Even when photographing around 100 leather jackets in a day, if I touch them and feel the material, I can generally remember them. 'Ah, that was horsehide,' or 'That was good leather.' Even with a vast archive of photos, you can often recall them by touch. But honestly, I can't remember the ones I shot this time. I understand that the condition of the leather jackets is poor, and direct contact might not be advisable, but still... This year marks my 10th anniversary working in America, and I'm starting to feel like this might be the end of the line for books focusing on vintage clothing.

—That's a difficult reality to face.

I'm still struggling to come to terms with this issue. In a way, putting vintage clothing into a museum is like creating a 'graveyard' for them to rest in peace. This Harley project, in the end, is precisely that kind of work, and I'm grateful to be given the opportunity, but my passion wasn't there to begin with. That's why I'm deeply contemplating the future and feel I have no choice but to hone my own creative work in the studio for now.

—It's surprising that vintage clothing is treated that way in America. Are there any particular reasons for this?

I believe 9/11 was a major factor. After that, a strange bubble formed, and America's values and direction undeniably changed. The development of internet infrastructure also played a significant role, enabling various shifts. Society seems to have collectively moved in one direction.

The Roots of American Outlaw Culture

—Were there any other surprising discoveries while producing the Harley book?

That America already possessed immense power from the 1910s. Despite the Great Depression in the late '20s, what I had seen until now was America after that period. But I felt they had been accumulating the power for the first stage of their 'hop, step, jump' long before that. What surprised me even more was that Harley-Davidsons were imported to Japan as early as the 1920s. I had heard stories about Harley dealerships appearing in Japan from the late '30s, but I was quite taken aback by a photograph from around 1926 showing items imported by the Imperial Japanese Army. However, after much deliberation, I decided to cut almost all of it. An American editor might have picked it up for its interesting visual appeal, but this book is an all-English international publication, intended to be read in many countries, including China. My understanding is that such photos are not appropriate for this context. Therefore, I shelved that photograph.

—Were there any discoveries regarding motorcycle wear?

That it was already quite complete by the 1920s. I had assumed it was perfected around the 1940s and peaked in the '50s, but it turns out it was established even earlier. My previous assessment was a bit off. Before, I might have dismissed a single photograph as a rare case, but with this collection of materials, I could confirm it. They were really pushing boundaries from the '20s onwards.


—That must have been an unexpected discovery?

Yes. This, too, is a discovery made possible by the preservation of documentation. It's a testament to the core principle of journalism: that what you leave behind can hold meaning 100 years later. Furthermore, what's remarkable about Harley-Davidson is that it's not just a motorcycle; it's a culture. No other motorcycle manufacturer has this, and it's incredible that they've built this over more than a century.

—By the way, when is this Harley book scheduled for publication?

The Harley-Davidson Museum is expected to open around July 2008, so the book should be released around that time.

—And what about the future of your vintage clothing series, 'My Freedamn!'?

I intend for 'My Freedamn!' to move towards its conclusion. If you think of a baseball pitcher, we're currently in the 6th or 7th inning, and I really want to pitch a complete game. I feel the toughest part is yet to come, and I often think that the 8th and 9th innings must be hell for pitchers these days (laughs). If you let your guard down even slightly, you get hit. So, I'm currently contemplating how to achieve a shutout and then how to evolve in a different direction afterward.

—Thank you very much. I look forward to its completion.