「Battle of Hakaio and Mugentei」

2024／Clay-animation／Approx 1 minute

「Monster Chronicles:Hakaio」

2020／Clay, My Brother’s Drawing, Conversation with my brother, Various sizes

When I was a child, my brother used to rub my cheeks slowly with his clay-stained fingertips, smiling reassuringly. I heard this act was called “shuryu” and I was the only one he would ever do this with. My brother would always use those hands to draw pictures or make something out of clay. Whenever I asked him “Why don’t you do ‘shuryu’ with others,” he would always reply with “Because their cheeks are cold.”

All the events scattered within our hectic lives are connected like continents, unknowingly bringing light to the relationships between people. There is an invisible “boundary” there, and it seems that people don’t know how to view it. Even if they verbally communicate, the “shuryu” like my brother’s is sealed away in their irritated faces and attitudes.

Engaging in a dialogue similar to when I was a child, I will sculpt my brother’s “Monster Chronicles: Hakaio.” This is an attempt to touch the "boundary" between me and my brother, which I may have unconsciously created. At the same time, it is a challenge to bring the two-dimensional world of my brother’s drawings to life, allowing others to view his world from multiple perspectives. This is my “shuryu,” not a support or collaboration but rather an extension of life.

My brother’s touch has been engrained into my cheeks, and I occasionally remember the ticklish but reassuring feeling. Now it is my turn to “shuryu.”

Sapporo Ekimae-dori Underground Walkway (Chi-Ka-Ho)Rest Area (Kita 1-jo Higashi）between exits 7 and 9 Kita 1-jo Nishi 3-chome