By a turn of fate and coincidences, we ended up shooting KAKI KOUBA (2015) and MINATOMACHI (2018) in Ushimado by the Seto Inland Sea in Japan. Back then, Kiyoko Kashiwagi, my wife and producer, and I were comfortable living in New York and never dreamt that we would move to Ushimado in a few years.
But the coronavirus pandemic profoundly changed our attitude towards life. In 2021, after 27 years in New York, we relocated to Ushimado. We didn’t want to continue living in a big city covered in concrete, so disconnected from nature. Instead, we wanted to try living in harmony with nature, surrounded by the sea and mountains.
A little while after we settled in Ushimado, the shooting of GOKOGU NO NEKO began unexpectedly.
Kiyoko and I encountered two cat brothers, Chataro and Chibishima, on the street. They were injured and starving, so we felt compelled to look after them with the help of a local activist who had been feeding and protecting Ushimado’s local street cats. In return, Kiyoko volunteered to help him capture and spay the cats of Gokogu, which made me start rolling my camera.
Observing the street cats of Gokogu, I realised that they haven’t lost their sense of wilderness. They are part of nature.
While shooting at Gokogu, I discovered that the shrine was a unique public space where many people came and went for various reasons. I also became aware that while there were people who took care of the street cats, some residents harboured negative feelings toward them because of the mess their waste left in the neighbourhood. Gokogu seemed to be the epicentre of a sensitive issue that divided the local community. Drawn in by the allure of the place, I found myself shooting at Gokogu for about a year.
Like my previous films, GOKOGU NO NEKO was shot spontaneously without a plan or prior research, following my “Ten Commandments of Observational Filmmaking.” Because Kiyoko’s involvement with the situation was what initiated my shooting, she naturally became a character in the film. As a result, the line between filmmakers and characters became ambiguous, which made this film a good example of “participant-observation.”
Living in Ushimado, I often contemplate the relationship between human beings and nature, a relationship that often seems to be headed towards collapse. Observing the street cats of Gokogu, I realized that they haven’t lost their sense of wilderness. They are part of nature. In this sense, GOKOGU NO NEKO is a film which observes and examines the complex relationship between human beings and nature.
Ten Commandments of Observational Filmmaking
2 No meetings with subjects.
3 No scripts.
4 Roll the camera yourself.
5 Shoot for as long as possible.
6 Cover small areas deeply.
7 Do not set up a theme or goal before editing.
8 No narration, super-imposed titles, or music.
9 Use long takes.
10 Pay for the production yourself.
