This exhibition gathers moments framed by four classic Asahi Pentax M42-mount cameras — the AP, SP, SV, and SL — as they traveled through seasons, shrines, streets, textures, and skies. From blossoms that whisper the passing of time to circles of landscape that quietly enclose the infinite, each section invites a shift in gaze. There’s no fixed path — let your curiosity choose the first step.
The M42 mount, a symbol of open standard and timeless mechanical precision, becomes a portal to moments that transcend eras. As these cameras differ subtly in feel and handling, their combined perspectives create a layered narrative—not of grand monuments, but of fleeting light, shifting petals, and tactile surfaces we pass by each day.
What connects these images is not a single event or place, but a shared spirit of observation. A world rendered in film grain and soft edges. Each photograph becomes a meditation—on transience, on presence, and on the enduring legacy of analog seeing.
Each image blow holds a story. Step into any doorway to begin your journey.
Hiko Minato
Hiko Minato is a Kyoto-based photographer and director of the Okazaki Optical Research Lab. Combining vintage cameras and lenses, his work explores timeless expressions of memory and place. 
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