Date　 December 11（Wed.）〜16（Mon.）2024
Place　Gallery Dojunkai （Tokyo・Omotesandou）

We recently held Living with Guardian Paintings, an exhibition of intimate works designed to reside quietly in everyday spaces yet speak to the heart when it matters most. Each piece is created with one hope: that it will stand as a gentle guardian, watching over its owner through life’s milestones.

When I paint, I imagine the work blending so seamlessly into the room that it is almost forgotten—until a moment arises when the heart stirs, and the painting listens in silence.

I first felt this presence in my childhood home, in the quiet tatami room at the back where the family altar stood.

In times of joy I would sit there to share the news; in sorrow I would gaze through the shōji at the garden; before setting out to chase a dream, I would join my hands in prayer and feel a protective gaze upon me. In that room, I sensed Buddha, my ancestors, or perhaps something far greater than either—an unseen presence we turned to whenever life’s great events unfolded.

Faith, to me, is the act of looking up to and believing in something beyond ourselves. Whatever form that presence takes, it offers wisdom that helps us live more peacefully in this world.

Imagine beginning each day by placing a single flower before a small painting, setting a tiny glass of fresh water beside it, and pressing your palms together in gratitude for the life that sustains you here and now.

May such a simple ritual become a moment to face your own heart, to recognize the gift of being alive. And may each painting serve as a quiet doorway to the unseen yet certain forces that surround us.