Looking at Japan
As I began to draw wolves more, I learned about wolf worship, and had more opportunities to come into contact with beliefs such as Shinto, nature worship, and Buddhism, as well as Japanese customs. I grew up in a residential area of Sapporo, Hokkaido, and have experienced all sorts of New Year's and seasonal festivals, but when I looked into it, I found that I was surprised to find that I didn't know their origins. I have once again taken the perspective of "What is Japan?" and have been looking at the country where I was born and raised, and tracing its culture by depicting it in my works.
zodiac
The zodiac is one of the most representative aspects of Japanese culture, and we have many opportunities to become familiar with it in our daily lives. I have had many opportunities to draw animals related to the zodiac, especially around the New Year.
During the Edo period, pictures combining all twelve animals of the Chinese zodiac were also drawn, likely in hopes of bringing safety to the household.
Good luck: Crane and turtle
It is said that "it is good luck to decorate with the animal of the year," but there are many other lucky charms, including plants and animals. The combination of a crane and a turtle is also a symbol of longevity. The two pieces depicted on a white background are tososan and the seven herbs that appear in New Year's events. Drinking toso wards off evil spirits, eating nanakusa-gayu (rice porridge with seven herbs) is a way to pray for good health and safety throughout the year, and embrace the spirit of spring.
Festivals─New Year
Various lucky charms also appear during the New Year. Kadomatsu are used to welcome the New Year's deity, and Kagami mochi is a sacred object for the deity. The fruit "daidai" (tangerine), which is considered to be an auspicious fruit because its name sounds like "daiyo" (generations), is sometimes placed on Kagami mochi, but it seems that Kagami mochi also comes in a variety of styles.
prayer
The series of works painted entirely in white that I exhibited in my 2020 solo exhibition "The Day After Tomorrow" imitated shiroe (white painting). Shiroe paintings from the Heian period featured pine, bamboo, plum, cranes, turtles, and other designs painted in white on plain wood or white twill, and were used as furnishings in birthing homes to pray for a safe birth. This custom was reserved for people of noble status, but I feel it is also a beautiful expression of prayer.
With the hope that the world we are about to enter will also be blessed, I painted a scene of towering rocky mountains, lush pine needles growing from drooping pine branches, and a giant phoenix dancing gracefully in the sky.
pine
In Japan, pine trees are also beloved as symbols of good fortune. Because they remain lush and green even in winter, they are said to be auspicious symbols of eternal youth and longevity.
While researching the origins of the idea that pine, bamboo, and plum are auspicious, I learned that pine is also recognized for its practical benefits, such as the medicinal properties of its resin and needles. I believe that these practical aspects, combined with the spiritual symbolism of the pine, have earned it its status as an "auspicious tree."
While pine is not the only auspicious plant, I have a strong interest in it and have frequently incorporated it into my artwork. This is because I feel it is important in Japan to treat this tree with care.
gods and Buddhas
Every New Year, we visit a shrine for the first time in the year. Before that, we ring the bell at the temple, and we have a kamidana (kamidana) and a butsudan (butsudan) in our homes. Shinto and Buddhism are religions that are familiar to Japanese people. While few people openly declare themselves believers, gods and Buddhas are present in our lives. I have created several works in the past that were inspired by Shinto and Buddhist mythology and A-un statues.
Shinto, Buddhism, and ancestor worship are familiar to me, but I grew up without any exposure to mountain worship, sun worship, or snake worship, so they all feel fresh to me. I incorporate these elements into my works, "tracing" them. I create while thinking about whether doing so will remind me of something, and what my works will resonate with those who view them.
The work and its world
There are bound to be many differences and changes depending on the region and the era, but I wonder what people in the past were thinking when they established their own beliefs and customs. What kind of customs are we currently building in the present day? What kind of culture are the Japanese people, and what kind of people are they? And what kind of Japanese am I?
