Delivering the Light of Art to Nishinari Airin District, Japan's Largest Slum

 

February 11, 2023

During the period when the Kansai International Art Festival, an international art event, was held in Osaka.

 

I carried out my own art project,

Where The Light Is,

in Nishinari, Osaka, also known as Japan's largest slum, in the Kamagasaki area,

commonly known as the Airin District.

 

I consider myself to have participated in the Kansai International Art Festival unofficially.

 

Previous Where The Light Is projects can be found here:

・Digital + Street + Art in Bangkok / Where The Light Is / Where The Light Is

・Are paintings a gateway to the afterlife? / Digital + Street + Art in Pai

・Onsen + Art / Digital + Street Art at the Yubatake in Kusatsu Onsen

 

This Nishinari, Airin District is

said to be Japan's largest slum.

 

There were many piles of garbage and tents lined up,

and the air was filled with a pungent ammonia-like odor.

 

Additionally, there were extremely cheap izakayas, supermarkets,

and dormitory-style accommodations with no key money, no deposit, and daily pay,

where many homeless people,

former prisoners, and those unable to integrate into society

naturally drifted and gathered.

 

Most of them have made a living

as day laborers in this land, Nishinari, Airin District.

 

The scene felt like a foreign slum,

yet at the same time, it held a certain sense of Showa-era melancholy,

a nostalgic warmth.

If we go back in time, this area was known as a "buraku."

(It was a community of people who were persecuted and called "eta" or "hinin,"

existing in various parts of Japan.)

 

As time passed,

during the post-World War II reconstruction after the Greater East Asia War (World War II),

this area developed as a workers' district, where much labor was needed.

Many young people gathered here.

Most of them were day laborers,

and it is said that the working conditions were harsh.

Perhaps because of such an environment,

drugs, primarily stimulants, became rampant.

It became famous as the place where drugs were the easiest to acquire in Japan,

and drug addicts never ceased.

Not only drugs, but also alcoholics,

as well as scenes of gambling, prostitution, fights, and riots,

were part of the everyday landscape.

(Some of this still continues today.)

 

Many people who worked as day laborers would spend their wages,

received at the end of the day, by the end of the same day.

The concept of saving money did not exist.

Still, there was always work, so at that time,

it was sustainable in that way.

It was truly a city of men living day by day.

 

In 1970,

the "Airin Labor Welfare Center"

was built.

 

This was a place to recruit day laborers,

a shelter for those without homes,

and it also had a hospital, so it was truly the heart of the city.

 

(This is the building where the art project

Where The Light Is was carried out.)

 

As mentioned earlier,

the city became a place where homeless people, ex-convicts, and those who could not fit into society

drifted to, with the Airin Labor Welfare Center at its center.

 

If we express this scene directly,

it was a rough and scary place.

 

However, on the other hand, there is also the fact that

it had an open heart that welcomed anyone and everyone.

Due to the unique "color" of such a city,

- They do not inquire about each other's past.
- They help each other when in trouble.

There were unique and invisible rules like these,

and they continue to this day.

 

However, in 2019, due to seismic concerns,

the "Airin Labor Welfare Center"

was forced to close.

(It is planned to be rebuilt after 2025.)

 

Many laborers were left in trouble and lost their place.

Most of the people who had been using it as a shelter

were the day laborers who supported the post-war period,

but now they are old and can no longer work as they used to.

 

Currently, they live as homeless people

in parks or on the streets in front of the Airin Labor Welfare Center,

or live in cheap "doya" (inns) while receiving welfare benefits.

Aging, hunger, malnutrition, cold, and sanitary conditions

are the harsh realities that some must endure,

and some quietly pass away without anyone knowing.

 

There, a variety of social issues seemed to be condensed,

along with a history and darkness that surrounded them.

 

At the same time,

it is also true that many kind and compassionate people,

who help one another, exist.

 

I personally witnessed such scenes,

which deeply moved me.

Also, the locals treated me, a young traveler,

with kindness and warmth.

 

We talked casually, laughed, and helped each other.

I felt the warmth of the good old Showa era,

and it felt like "time has stopped in this land."

The Nishinari-Airin district of Osaka.

It started as a buraku community,

and after the war, it became a city of physical, day laborers,

but today, it has become Japan's largest slum.

In the heart of this district was the huge building

"Airin Labor Welfare Center,"

which operated from 1970 to 2019,

and is now closed.

 

In this building, which is also slated for demolition,

I will engage in art activities using light as a medium.

 

This act,

I believe, will shine a light on societal issues such as race, human rights, wealth inequality, drugs,

working conditions, and social welfare.

Instead of covering the darkness,

shining a light on it

will lead to the creation of a better society in the future.

And because it's art,

it allows for free expression.

It can shine a light on social issues in a pop style.

It can overcome language barriers.

This is also an art activity that traces the context of the political and social themes

of street artist Banksy, who has been active since the early 2000s.

Through this art activity,

I stayed in this area for about three days.

I learned about this place, had conversations with the people,

shared meals, spent time together, and felt so much.

And being able to engage in art activities here is

a precious memory and a great asset.

 

When I saw people sleeping and staying in the cold sky,

there was a part of me that felt heartbroken.

I also saw scenes of fights, a market for thieves,

and drug transactions,

and I felt I was able to clearly see the social issues of Japan with my own eyes.

 

What one person can do may be small,

but by combining it with art and sharing information,

I can deliver it to the whole country and the world.

This is what I can do now,

and I also feel that it is my mission.

 

Where The Light Is

The place where light exists

 

It is exactly in a place like this,

that I feel the light shines even brighter.

 

To the people of Nishinari-Airin district,

Thank you!

This project was supported by a friend of mine living in Osaka,

who is also the owner (purchaser) of my artwork, known as Yassan.

 

He helped in various ways, including guiding me at the site and assisting with photography.

Yassan, thank you so much!