This work draws inspiration from Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi, the sacred sword that emerged from the tail of the eight-headed serpent Yamata-no-Orochi after it was slain by Susanoo-no-Mikoto in Japanese mythology.
Rather than treating this story simply as a myth, I see it as a symbol of a universal pattern that humanity has experienced throughout history: the relationship between calamity and hope.
Wars, pandemics, natural disasters, and countless other crises have repeatedly driven humanity to the brink of despair. Yet, time and again, people have found hope, wisdom, and the strength to move forward from the very wounds left behind.
What is hope?
Does it appear only after calamity has passed? Or is it the human will itself—the determination to keep moving forward even in the midst of despair?
I believe that hope does not arise from peace or comfort, but emerges from the depths of suffering itself.
In this work, Yamata-no-Orochi is expressed through discarded fragments of leather. Leather once carried life, and I believe that the traces of this life possess a unique vitality capable of evoking the living presence of the serpent—the embodiment of calamity in Japanese mythology.
Each fragment of leather represents an individual calamity—war, disaster, disease, violence, or environmental destruction. Together, these fragments form a collective embodiment of the anxieties that have accumulated within human society.
Rising from their center is a spiraling form of light that symbolizes Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi. It is not intended as a literal representation of the mythical sword. Rather, it embodies the wisdom discovered through hardship and the unwavering human will to move toward the future.
Through this work, I wish to pose a simple yet fundamental question:
What do we discover within calamity?
Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi is more than a sacred treasure from ancient mythology. As long as humanity continues to confront suffering and choose hope, its light continues to emerge somewhere in the world.
Through this work, I seek to illuminate the enduring human capacity to keep moving forward, even in the midst of calamity.
