Umi no ko (海の子)

A child of the sea, embraced by the warm blanket of waves and serenaded by the hush of the tide. When the child sleeps, the ocean stills. When the child stirs, the winds begin to shift. 
 
Oil and Acrylic on Canvas
40cm
2025
 
子たちの物語 (Tales of the Children) Series
According to Shintoism and aspects of Japanese Buddhism, spirit is not confined to human beings. Trees, stones, rivers, animals, and even everyday objects are believed to hold essence. The belief of animism or the culture of yaoyorozu no kami (八百万の神), honors the divine in all things.
 
子たちの物語 reflects this tradition through small、 quiet figures: children born not of people、 but of mother nature herself. These “children” are imagined as the embodied spirits of elements and objects. By giving them form, they are remembered. By witnessing them, we restore a sense of empathy toward that which is often overlooked.