My father, 83 years old, it was the first time taking a photograph of my father when I had a secret about him that he didn’t know himself, Kamakura, Apr 2014


Dad with Stage Four Lung Cancer

In April 2014, I took a photograph of my father, who was visiting my house in Kamakura.
A doctor had recently diagnosed the 83-year-old with stage IV lung cancer but I hadn’t told him yet.
I remember that..
It was the first time I took a photograph of my father when I knew a secret about him, which he didn’t know himself.
Over the next three years I continued taking photographs of my father.
Each time I clicked the shutter I was sending a quiet message to him:

"Please don't die, Dad.."

My father, 83 years old, it was the first time taking a photograph of my father when I had a secret about him that he didn’t know himself, Kamakura, Apr 2014
My father, 84 years old, Kamakura, Dec 2014
My father, 85 years old, playing with Kotoyo, Sagamihara, May 2016
My father, 85 years old, attended by my mother, Sagamihara, May 2016
My father, 86 years old, always makes delicious food, 'tempura' the most for us, and plays with his grandchildren a lot also, Sagamihara, May 2017
My father, 86 years old, after making food, Sagamihara, May 2017
My father, 86 years old, never stopped smoking but I think this is a good thing considering his age, and I always said don't smoke in bed, don't smoke around your grandchildren, Sagamihara, May 2017
My father, 86 years old, after playing with grandchildren, Sagamihara, May 2017
My father, 86 years old, with 9-year-old nephew KenKen who has periventricular leukomalacia (PVL), Sagamihara, May 2017
My father, 87 years old, suddenly lost weight in the last two month, Sagamihara, July 2017
'This may be the last meal of his life he finished eating...', my mother told me while showing a photograph she recorded, Sagamihara, July 2017
My father, 87 years old, Sagamihara, July 2017
My father, 87 years old, Sagamihara, July 2017
My father, 87 years old, going to the hospital, Sagamihara, July 2017
My father, 87 years old, attended by my mother, Sagamihara, July 2017
My family listens to his condition from a doctor, in the hospital, Sagamihara, July 2017
In the hospital, Sagamihara, July 2017
My father, 87 years old, was hospitalized for the first time, in the hospital, Sagamihara, July 2017
My father, 87 years old, was able to get home for the first time in three weeks, but was repeating the same thing the whole day, Sagamihara, Aug 2017
My father, 87 years old, trying to play with Kotoyo again, Sagamihara, Aug 2017
My mother, Sagamihara, Aug 2017
My father, 87 years old, with Hikono and KenKen, Sagamihara, Aug 2017
My father, 87 years old, Sagamihara, Aug 2017
'Good night dad, see you soon', My father, 87 years old, Sagamihara, Aug 2017
This was the last shot I took before my father died... A few weeks later I received an emergency call from my family and rushed to the hospital, but my father had already passed away, a while before I arrived.
''You didn't make it..', my older sister spoke to me, as I arrived in front of the hospital, Sagamihara, Sep 6 2017
My father, was 87 years old, with my mother, in the hospital, Sagamihara, Sep 6 2017
With my father, in the hospital, Sagamihara, Sep 6 2017
'Your father showed a smile to KenKen at the last moment..', in the hospital, Sagamihara, Sep 6 2017
To the hospital morgue, Sagamihara, Sep 6 2017
In the hospital morgue, Sagamihara, Sep 6 2017
In the crematory, Sagamihara, Sep 2017
In the crematory, Sagamihara, Sep 2017
In the crematory, Sagamihara, Sep 2017
Selfie, while my father is cremated, in the crematory, Sagamihara, Sep 2017
In the crematory, Sagamihara, Sep 2017
My mother broke down crying after meeting with my father again, in the crematory, Sagamihara, Sep 2017
Out of the crematory, Sagamihara, Sep 2017
Kotoyo, praying for grandpa, Sagamihara, Sep 2017
Thank you, love you and miss you, Dad..
<b>HARUO NOGUCHI</b>   June 28 1930 - Sep 6 2017