“Okinawa: Memories and Records” Project
OKINAWA memories and records – progress report –
A project to chronicle, from a 2022 perspective, photographs documenting the era, valuable record jackets, and artist-related materials. This is based on the vast and precious photographs owned by the editorial department of the monthly photo magazine Okinawa Graph, founded in 1958, and the rich collection of Okinawan music records and CDs held by Radio Okinawa, celebrating its 61st anniversary. Okinawa possesses a unique culture and arts, cultivated alongside its complex history, which continues to captivate all of Japan today. This exhibition project presents an intermediate stage of a grand approach to create a “Catalog of Okinawan Performing Arts Culture – 2022 Edition,” using “memory and record” as its key themes. In 2022, Okinawa marks 50 years since its reversion to Japan. Centered around an exhibition of analog records—precious records of Okinawan music that has evolved uniquely alongside Okinawa’s history—and a display of pages from “Okinawa Graph,” Okinawa’s only monthly photo magazine documenting postwar Okinawan history, this project aims to pay the utmost respect to the diverse artists across genres who have colored these 50 years, connecting their memories to the next 50 years.
Exhibition Venue: Former Office Building of Ogimi Village Office
Produced by: Naoki Tachikawa, Kotaro Sugiyama
Directed by: Kenichiro Koyama
PROFILE
Naoki Tachikawa
Born in 1949. Active in bands during the 1960s, he transitioned to becoming a producer and music critic at the start of the 1970s. For many years, he has continued working across a wide range of genres—including music, film, art, and theater—with the theme of media interaction, earning high acclaim as a producer and director. His fields span rock, jazz, film music, art, stage design, and urban development. Collaborating with numerous artists both domestically and internationally, he is regarded as a leading authority on “media mix.” As a film critic and essayist, he has gained popularity for his unique perspective and has authored many books. Works include: The Legend of the Fab Beatles, Pink Floyd: Call the Wind, Summon the Storm, The Prophecy of Shangri-La (co-authored with Hiroshi Morinaga), TOKYO 1969, The Liner Notes, Rhapsody in John W. Lennon, and I Stand Alone.
Kotaro Sugiyama
President and CEO, Light Publicity Inc.
Born in Tokyo. After graduating from Rikkyo University’s School of Economics, joined Dentsu Inc. where he worked as a Creative Director.
From 1999, contributed to establishing interactive advertising as a leader in the digital domain.
After serving as Managing Executive Officer at Dentsu, transferred to Light Publicity in April 2012.
Assumed current position in April 2015. Joined the Japan Association of Corporate Executives in 2017. Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity International Jury Member, Visiting Professor at Osaka University of Arts.
Major Works
Shogakukan “Sparkling First Graders”, Seven-Eleven “Seven-Eleven Good Mood”, Suntory Royal ‘Rambo’, AC Japan “WATER MAN”, among others. Numerous domestic and international awards.
Inducted into the 7th Creators Hall of Fame in 2018.
Kenichiro Koyama
Born August 12, 1986, in Toyonaka City, Osaka Prefecture. Joined ZARA Japan at age 20. Specialized in data-driven display design, becoming the West Japan VMD Area Manager at an exceptionally young age just two years later. Subsequently transitioned from the apparel industry to architecture, working in the field for approximately six years. During this time, self-taught architectural design and became independent. Handled 300 design projects annually as a spatial designer while also serving as a creative producer for dozens of startups and brand strategies. In 2017, his marriage to a woman from Kunigami Village, the northernmost point of Okinawa Prefecture, led him to undertake a revitalization project for a defunct hotel that had operated there for over 40 years. He established ARCHITECTS&BOTANICAL Inc. in 2018. In 2019, he opened YANBARU HOSTEL, a new landmark in Kunigami Village. He founded Kenichiro Koyama Creative Produce Office in 2020. Since then, he has served as brand manager for over 10 companies both within and outside Okinawa Prefecture. Additionally, alongside running the lodging business, he concurrently serves as brand manager, spatial designer, and fashion designer. Notable projects include OKINAWASUITS, which transforms discarded kariyushi wear into high-fashion suits. In December 2021, he opened the company’s New York Office, marking the start of a global challenge in all aspects of creative work.
