Capturing the Lives of Syrian Families Through Her Lens

Yuka Komatsu, an accomplished photographer and adventurer, has been inspired by the diverse individuals she has met during her global travels. In July, she was honored with the 23rd Kaiko Takeshi Nonfiction Award for her poignant work “Siria no Kazoku” (“Syrian families”), which tells the stories of her Syrian husband's family and others affected by the ongoing civil conflict in Syria.

Originally, Komatsu intended to document the lives of refugees, but the recent upheaval following the collapse of the Assad regime altered her focus. Rising to fame in 2006 as the first Japanese woman to conquer K2, the world's second-highest mountain, she also earned the Uemura Naomi Adventure Award for her remarkable feat. Her fascination with the lives of those in deserts and grasslands led her to photography.

In 2013, after marrying a Syrian man she had met on her travels, Komatsu settled in Tokyo with her husband and their two sons. During the pandemic, she adapted to challenges by delivering food with Uber Eats, using an electric bicycle to balance family responsibilities with her reporting trips to Syria.

Growing up in Akita, she gained a deep appreciation for the connection people have to their land, influenced by her grandparents' dedicated work in rice paddies. Komatsu reflected on how her childhood experiences foster a sense of empathy for those whose homes have been ravaged by war, such as Syrian refugees forced to flee their homeland.

"Every corner of the world holds irreplaceable lives," she emphasizes.