At times I am under an illusion that if not for dolls I would make my life more human-like- if it were not dolls that I embrace, it would be human-beings that I would have in my arms. Being unable to hold human-beings, I found myself embraced by dolls at the end of my internal journey.

Within dolls inhabits my life. Even if I had no one in the world standing by me, I would not cease either to be with dolls or to create them. Dolls give me ways to meet human and I imagine a day will come when I love human beings.

Supposedly, I’ve been making dolls in the hope that it will lead me back to love human again.

May your eyes reflect love in the last moment.

This photo book is a collaboration of the creations of Kara, a Japanese doll artist who has her own doll wife, which have been captured by Junichi Takahashi, a successful photographer who has been taking portraits of people in New York for 20 years.
Kara’s dolls are imbued with a classic Japanese beauty and a unique spirit of animism which Takahashi skillfully captures in his photography. In an age when many are concerned about the gradual loss of the spiritual beauty of Japan, Takahashi explores the conceptual idea of photography breathing life into dolls.
Although Hans Bellmer is best known for converting traditional doll making techniques into modern art, it is in Japan that this speciality has been independently explored to develop the latent animism and reflected esthetic. Kara’s dolls are made of aloeswood and custom ball-joints which provide the freedom of movement in her creations. The dolls are 120cms (47inches) tall, dressed in common wear kimonos worn during the Meiji, Taisho & Pre War eras (1868 to 1939) and painted using traditional doll painting techniques.
Dolls hold a special place in Japanese culture - so questions of what they really are and how one feels when faced with them are raised. This photographic collection may be one portal through which these questions may be answered.