Introduction

　I was born in the year when Man had set foot on the Moon for the first time in its long history.
　In my boyhood, stars in the night sky had always attracted me, and the various stories of Greek
　myth had inspired my imagination.

　My small telescope was the wonderful tool to take me to the world of celestial beauty then, and
　I can never forget the exitment I felt when I saw the Ring of Saturn for the first time in my life.
　The Images of other planets and asteroids taken and delivered back through the endless void by
　the interplanetary probes, Voyagers and Pioneers, showed me that there were the true wonders
　awaiting us beyond the boundary of our daily life, and I respected the spirit of adventure which
　made them explore the unknown in spite of the dangers awaiting ahead.

　As I grew up, I learned that there was yet another frontier, on this very planet and within my
　reach: it existed under the brilliant glow of the Polar Star.

　　-The adventure of the late Naomi Uemura, who ventured into the hazardous land of arctic
　　　Alaska and Canada with dogsled,
　　-A Story of Japanese Prospector, Frank Yasuda, who saved the many lives of starving Eskimos
　　　in Barrow by leading them to the village of Beaver,
　　-The thrilling tales and episodes of explorations conducted by Roald Amundsen and Fridjof
　　　Nansen in search of the legendary Northwest Passage,

　Those books let my imagination wander about the Arctic World, and the lives of wild animals,
　along with those of the Eskimos and Native Indians under the mysterious glow of the Northern
　Lights.

　Fate had introduced me with an incredible book of photography, White Wolf, written by Jim
　Brandenburg, a photographer of excellent craftman spirit dedicated to the natural beauty, and
　I was stunned with the true workmanship shown in every page, every image taken in the face of
　the overwhelmingly severe yet beautiful nature.

　*　　*　　*　　*　　*

　One question lingers on me: "WHY?"
　Of all the countless other beautiful land exists on this planet, why ALASKA?
　Why does this particular area of arctic region attracts me so much-
　I believe this is the reason I set sail for the endless voyage to this "last frontier", in search of
　the answer to my mental proposition.

　In my childhood, "The Last Frontier" only meant a Barren Ground with Snow, Ice and Rock;
　however, I found a truely beautiful land of nature filled with life, instead of a cold and lifeless
　void, up in the North. This frontier sometimes forces me to struggle under its savage claws and
　fangs, yet I am always rewarded with precious experience, bestowed upon me by whatever spirit
　who resides in this heavenly world.

　I named this website gallery with the term Northward, in an attempt to express my deepest love
　and interest in the North. Here I will try to introduce various images of wild animals and scenery
　in Alaska, and Japan as well, with which I have encountered during my voyage to the future - yet
　discovered destiny.

February 4th, 2007 Kenji Chono