I created three works based on the world’s three major religions: Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam.

In each work, the woman holds a flower deeply associated with that religious tradition.

In this work, which represents Buddhism, I portrayed a *maiko*—an apprentice geisha and one of the figures associated with traditional Japanese culture—holding a lotus flower.

Although *maiko* are well known outside Japan, even as a Japanese person myself, I had rarely had the opportunity to see their dance in person or speak with them. I had mostly encountered them through photographs.

Then, at the opening ceremony of an exhibition, I had the opportunity for the first time to watch a *maiko* perform up close and to speak with her.

They leave their families at a young age and move to Kyoto, where they devote themselves each day to refining their art.

Yet what they acquire is far more than mastery of dance and performance.

Their movements and gestures, the way they speak and interact with others, and the sense of beauty cultivated through generations of tradition—these are not things that can simply be taught as knowledge.

I felt that they are absorbed slowly over time, by living alongside senior members of that world, observing them closely, and allowing their ways to become part of one’s own body and being.

The beauty I sensed in these young women went far beyond their exquisite kimono and makeup.

A strong will beneath their youth.
A dignity shaped by a long tradition.
And a quiet strength born from countless hours of effort that remain hidden from view.

I felt that all of this revealed itself simply in the way they carried themselves.

The woman in this work holds a lotus flower, a flower deeply associated with Buddhism.

Rising from the mud to bloom beautifully above the water, the lotus also reminded me of the path these young women follow.

The subtitle of this work is **“Eloquence,”** one of the meanings traditionally associated with the lotus in the language of flowers.

Even without saying much, the time we have accumulated and the way we have lived can reveal themselves through the way we carry ourselves.

**Something within us speaks more eloquently than words ever could.**

In this work, I wanted to capture the beauty of Japan that I felt when I encountered the *maiko*.