Mizuha: Tsurugame (Crane Tortoise)

“Mizuha” is a work that grew from the desire to be with the water deities. The deep blue karakami works of art use the original technique of “shifuku printing,” which combines the painting techniques of pointillism and tarashikomi and involves the artist using his own fingers to apply color thousands or tens of thousands of times. Filled with the poetic sentiment created in concert with all the gods and spirits, the color born of these original techniques is lovingly known as “Toto Blue.”

Succession with discontinuity
Beauty appears in the seemingly disjointed irregularity of the movements, creating a rhythm in the picture as a whole, through a series of irregular motions. Beauty in the unevenness, beauty in the shading, beauty in the blank spaces… Fluctuations of shadows, vestiges, signs… These things comprise the Japanese esthetic, and it is in karakami, the dwelling place of beautiful unevenness, where I try to find the ultimate beauty. This karakami depicts a dancing crane, bringing good fortune, and a divine turtle, a messenger of the gods who eventually becomes a dragon. Fulfilling people’s wishes with the cranes soaring into the sky, this piece contains the message of watching over peace in the world and the hearts of men and women.

November 2022
Karakami Artist Toto Akihiko