Last year, I expressed the cherry blossoms through a mandala. This year, I decided to create a pair of pieces inspired by them. This is the first of the two — together they form “Ouka 2026.”

I wanted to capture the energy of the cherry blossoms just before they burst into bloom. As I began the dotwork, the word “Budding” (Hoga) naturally came to mind.

The next day, I continued the dots. On the following day, while interacting with AI, I found myself feeling strangely frustrated. I decided to leave that raw emotion within this piece, watching the feeling closely as I continued to strike each dot… Then, the word “Quickening” (Taido) surfaced within me — not as a physical movement, but as a deep, internal throbbing of life.

Today, I looked at the piece, wondering if I should add more dots. But I realised it was already complete. Just like the process of its birth, I named this piece: “From Budding to Quickening.”