20202024
Acrylic gouache, Canvas
97.3 162.0 cm

Even after a thousand years and countless changing eras, the wishes born from humanity remain the same. Past, present, and futureall prayers converge here.
We are the divine foxes of Fushimi, messengers who grant desires.

Depicted in the work are Fushimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto, and the white foxes who have long received and guarded prayers. Founded 1,300 years ago, the shrines red torii gates line the mountain paths, layered with wishes conveyed through ema plaques and guardian statues.
The foxes, having lived over a millennium, now possess two tails and wear sacred flaming jewels. One has transformed into a woman, clad in flowing garments of the Nara period, emerging under the night sky of Mt. Inari.
If you look closely, the light trails of highways and the lines of torii seem to mergeblurring the boundary between our world and another.
This work holds a multitude of wishes: for prosperity, for good fortune, for protection. The overlapping hopes of countless people through time have formed into this prayerful image.