Artist Statement

Nothing had prepared me for my father’s death. After it, I also had two serious accidents. Recovery was slow and just as things were returning to normal, the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami struck.

I was left with no strength to get even out of bed in the morning.

One day, my father came to me in a dream and told me to go to a village where he used to live a long time ago. Following his instructions, I arrived at a place covered in deep snow.

There, an ancient 1300-year old shrine ritual, “ZAIDO”, was being performed. Before it, the performers are required to undertake a very strict purification which from a modern viewpoint seems extremely hard. Japan is a country surrounded by sea and a unique culture exists here. But I fear that it is starting to disappear. However, there still exist people who are willing to continue protecting it. I would like to express my greatest respect for the villagers’ love and enthusiasm for the local community which helped me find meaning in life again.