4th Fugensha Photography Award Grand Prix Winner
Publication: July 6, 2025
Book Design: Satoshi Machiguchi
Designer: Sara Shimizu (MATCH and Company Co., Ltd.)
Editor: Fumi Sekine
Size: A4 irregular (215 × 245 mm)
Binding: Hardcover
Pages: 140
Photographs: 82
Publisher: Kaoru Watanabe / Fugensha
Printing: Watanabe Art Printing Co., Ltd.
ISBN: 978-4-908955-42-
Eri Morita, a photographer from Kumamoto Prefecture now based in San Diego, California, received the Grand Prize in the 4th Fugensha Photography Award in 2024, selected from a record 192 applicants. Her award-winning work Moon Rainbow will be published by Fugensha in July 2025.
This body of work spans 18 years, documenting life with her family of three. After giving birth to her daughter in New York, Morita and her family moved to Maui, Hawaii, and began a search for a place to settle. Their journey took them through Tokyo, Shanghai, Kumamoto, and Miyazaki, before drifting to Santa Monica, California, and finally finding home in San Diego.
For Morita, each stage of her daughter’s growth—first heartbeat on a prenatal monitor, first laugh, first steps, first words—was an endless surprise, renewing her sense of wonder. Through photography, she sought to understand her family’s existence: a complex unit woven from joy, comfort, struggle, and solitude. With a steady gaze and quiet distance, she captured nearly two decades of intimate moments, creating a work that transcends private documentary to touch on the universal narrative of family.
“Joy, misunderstanding, comfort, loneliness—all exist in the same place at the same time. Family is complex, often painful, and yet irreplaceable. Even now, I find it mysterious. But I’ve learned that even without complete understanding, we can still remain close.” —Eri Morita
4th Fugensha Photography Award Grand Prix Winner
Publication: July 6, 2025
Book Design: Satoshi Machiguchi
Designer: Sara Shimizu (MATCH and Company Co., Ltd.)
Editor: Fumi Sekine
Size: A4 irregular (215 × 245 mm)
Binding: Hardcover
Pages: 140
Photographs: 82
Publisher: Kaoru Watanabe / Fugensha
Printing: Watanabe Art Printing Co., Ltd.
ISBN: 978-4-908955-42-
Eri Morita, a photographer from Kumamoto Prefecture now based in San Diego, California, received the Grand Prize in the 4th Fugensha Photography Award in 2024, selected from a record 192 applicants. Her award-winning work Moon Rainbow will be published by Fugensha in July 2025.
This body of work spans 18 years, documenting life with her family of three. After giving birth to her daughter in New York, Morita and her family moved to Maui, Hawaii, and began a search for a place to settle. Their journey took them through Tokyo, Shanghai, Kumamoto, and Miyazaki, before drifting to Santa Monica, California, and finally finding home in San Diego.
For Morita, each stage of her daughter’s growth—first heartbeat on a prenatal monitor, first laugh, first steps, first words—was an endless surprise, renewing her sense of wonder. Through photography, she sought to understand her family’s existence: a complex unit woven from joy, comfort, struggle, and solitude. With a steady gaze and quiet distance, she captured nearly two decades of intimate moments, creating a work that transcends private documentary to touch on the universal narrative of family.
“Joy, misunderstanding, comfort, loneliness—all exist in the same place at the same time. Family is complex, often painful, and yet irreplaceable. Even now, I find it mysterious. But I’ve learned that even without complete understanding, we can still remain close.” —Eri Morita
