
Hinoe-uma — Transcendence
Riding the rising winds of the Fire Horse year, racing beyond time and space.
30 × 30 cm · Commissioned WorkArtist’s Notes
Begun at the very end of 2025 and finished at the start of 2026. Into it I placed the Sanskrit seed syllable of the guardian deity for the birth date of the person who will own it, and the stars connected to them.
At the centre is a mirror. As with the sacred mirror of a shrine: take the “ga” (self) out of “kagami” (mirror) and what remains is “kami” (god). There is a god within each of us — and the centre of this mandala is there to remind us of it. Green stands for north and earth, blue for east and water, red for south and fire, yellow-orange for west and wind: together, this world.
As I finished the outer stippling, I noticed it had become something like a horse’s mane. This is the year of the Fire Horse. I saw a horse scattering sparks from its mane as it ran — and, over it, the image of the owner riding the rising winds of the Fire Horse year, racing beyond time and space. So the title became “Hinoe-uma — Transcendence”.
Now, run with all you have. Go beyond time and space.
Threads, January 2026