What is Dad Went on a Journey: 7 Years of Dementia and how did it come about?
Dad Went on a Journey: 7 Years of Dementia is a photography series that documents the nearly seven years of life of Kunio Hata, one of the top amateur tennis players in Japan, and also my father, from his diagnosis with Alzheimer’s disease in 2013 to his final days. My relationship with him was never a good one, and that dynamic didn’t change much over the years. Yet, for those seven years, I engaged with him visually, standing before him, camera in hand, capturing moments through the lens.
This process became a desperate attempt to mend a fractured family relationship that had been broken long before his Alzheimer’s diagnosis. While that attempt was unsuccessful, it resulted in this collection of images. My relationship with my father ultimately remained one of photographer and subject.
Over the course of those years, I took around 2,000 photographs. After his passing, I spent more than three years selecting about 180 images and documenting the experiences of my parents and myself in detail, arranged chronologically. What I share here is a small excerpt from that body of work.
Compiling these photos and narratives felt like a significant personal achievement. It allowed me to say both “thank you” and “goodbye” to my father—finally—as an independent individual.
A photographer’s father had dementia, and so the photographer captured it.
Tomoaki Hata
Who initially inspired you to grapple with dementia?
A photographer’s father had dementia, and so the photographer captured it. The decision to document my father’s dementia through photography came about purely by coincidence.
When I began this series, I had no idea how the story would unfold or where it would lead. By the time I finished, I was left with a vast collection of images—photographs that depicted my father as I saw him, as he had always appeared to me.
How has working on dementia-related art changed you?
As a family member, witnessing my father’s Alzheimer’s disease progress sparked a deep interest in human memory and its loss. My curiosity extends beyond dementia-induced memory loss to include the natural process of forgetting in healthy individuals. This exploration has led me to question the role of photography—what meaning does it hold when it ceases to function as a tool for preserving memories?
Building on this fascination, I am currently developing a new series of photographic works inspired by these questions.
Also through this large collection of photos, I continue to have a quiet dialogue with my father years after his passing. Through years of working on the photo series and its book (to be released by Aakaaka Art Publishing in Japan; English version to be released as ebooks), I kept looking at my father’s photos every day while writing about the events of that time and what I had felt. And when it all came to an end, I felt that I was able to understand my father’s life better than before.
How has Dad Went on a Journey been received?
A friend of mine who specializes in dementia care shared a particularly insightful comment about this photo series. He observed that it documents the life of a dementia patient before they enter a care facility—a part of their story that nurses typically don’t get to see. He explained that this perspective allows caregivers like him to develop a deeper understanding of their patients.
My story with my father never had a happy ending. Perhaps, among families who have a loved one suffering from dementia, there are people like me—those whose family relationships have already fallen apart before dementia yet who still wish to hold on to some kind of bond and realize that wish may be difficult. However, once that story comes to an end, something unforgettable will surely remain with you. And that will be what heals you as you move forward.
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