Rabbit

The dark-furred Amami rabbit is the last remnant of primitive rabbit species that once populated the Asian mainland. Endangered, it is found only on the ...

I hope that through my photographs that I have had helped show others the importance of preserving these precious animals. In the summer of 1986, I made my first excursion into the wilds of Amami Ōshima to see for myself if the Amami rabbit really was as special as people said. I was heading into uncharted territory with the Amami rabbit, as few studies had been made into the ecology and behavior of the nocturnal animal. Suckling lasts a mere two minutes, and the mother rabbit will spend another 20 minutes resealing the entrance of the nest before disappearing back into the undergrowth. This triumph spurred me to unearth more of the animal’s secrets, such as how it spent its days and cared for its young. She then seals the entrance of the nest with soil, returning once every two nights to feed her offspring. In time, my senses grew more attuned to the surrounding environment. To have such a renowned figure express concern for the tiny creature opened my eyes to the plight of the Amami no kurousagi, as the animal is known in Japanese. I had left Tokyo and returned to Amami Ōshima intent on finding my calling as a photographer. I had to teach myself from scratch how to be a wildlife photographer, but my efforts were eventually rewarded when in December, six months after my first riveting roadside encounter, I discovered a rabbit’s burrow. The Amami rabbit is one of the most recognized of Amami Ōshima’s many native creatures. Setting out at night by car with my family in tow, I had been driving for around an hour along a rough mountain road when a black lump with glowing ruby eyes appeared in the vehicle’s headlights.