A photography exhibition titled “Time Travel to Nagaland, 1979: A Japanese Photographer’s Record of Life and Tradition”, showcasing the cultural heritage and way of life of Nagaland as documented by Japanese ethnographic photographer Yuzo Morita during his visit to the State in 1979, was inaugurated on September 16 at the Museum Annexe Courtyard, Directorate of Art & Culture, Kohima.
Organised in collaboration with the National Museum of Ethnology (NMoE), Osaka, Japan, the exhibition also featured the launch of the Database of Naga Collection housed at NMoE and the Digital Archives of Morita’s Photography Collection.
Advisor, Art & Culture and Treasuries & Accounts, K Konngam Konyak, graced the occasion as the Special Guest. Addressing the gathering, Konyak said the exhibition offered an opportunity to look back at Nagaland through the photographs of Japanese ethnographic photographer Yuzo Morita, who travelled extensively across the State in 1979. He said the photographs documented the people, traditions, everyday life, landscapes and cultural practices of Nagaland more than four decades ago, serving as valuable records of the State’s cultural memory.
He highlighted the growing collaboration between the Nagaland State Museum, Department of Art & Culture, and the National Museum of Ethnology (NMoE), Osaka, Japan, noting that the partnership provided opportunities for cultural exchange, research, documentation and knowledge sharing. He also welcomed the launch of the Digital Database, saying the digital resources would make valuable cultural and photographic materials more accessible for research, education and future generations.
Commissioner & Secretary, Art & Culture, Bodeno S Colo, NCS, in her welcome address, said the exhibition was significant as it brought together Morita’s extensive photographic documentation of Nagaland during an important period in the State’s history. She described the photographs as valuable visual records that could help present generations reconnect with their traditions, communities and way of life.
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She said the exhibition was an outcome of the Statement of Cooperation signed on 5th August 2025 between the NMoE, Osaka, and the Nagaland State Museum, reflecting the spirit of friendship, cultural exchange and scholarly cooperation between Japan and Nagaland.
Director, Art & Culture, Adela Moa, gave a brief overview of the collaboration, stating that discussions on possible cooperation in Naga culture, exhibitions, documentation and academic research began following interactions with representatives of the Japanese museum. She recalled that officials from the Department visited NMoE, Osaka, worked on identifying artefacts and contributed to the development of the Naga collection database. She said the initiative had been a valuable learning experience and involved around six months of work.
Moa said the initiative represented an important effort to connect the past with the present, strengthen cultural and academic relations, and promote the documentation, preservation, research and transmission of Naga cultural heritage.
Advisor, Art & Culture and Treasuries & Accounts, K Konngam Konyak along with Commissioner & Secretary, Art & Culture, Bodeno S Colo, Director, Art & Culture, Adela Moa and representatives from the National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka, Japan at the photography exhibition.
Associate Professor, NMoE, Osaka, Japan, Emi Okada, said she first visited Nagaland in 2012 and was deeply impressed by the State’s traditional singing and distinctive musical culture. She said the NMoE houses around 250 artefacts related to the Naga people and that the two institutions had been working together on research, exhibitions and documentation of the Naga collection.
Okada informed that photographs taken by Morita during his 1979 visit to Nagaland had also been digitised and made available through a new digital archive. She hoped the exhibition would provide an opportunity to revisit the rich cultural life of Nagaland in 1979 while recognising traditions that continue to be cherished today.
The programme featured folk performances by Rüsokhrie Krotho, Kohima Village, and the Pochury Cultural Troupe, Kohima. The Database of Naga Collection and Digital Archives of Morita’s Photography Collection were launched by the Advisor, K. Konngam Konyak, followed by the inauguration of the photography exhibition.
The programme was chaired by Asst. Archivist, Art & Culture, Temjenjungla Aier, while N. Thungchano Yanthan, Additional Director, Art & Culture, delivered the vote of thanks.
