This piece serves as a companion to my previous work, “From Budding to Quickening.” Together they form “Ouka 2026.”

In this work, I challenged myself to capture the cycle of cherry blossoms blooming and falling — a depth I felt I couldn’t fully reach in last year’s “Ouka 2025.” From the very source of life, the surging energy of the sakura bursts into bloom, only to eventually unravel and scatter, dancing upon the wind…

Since ancient times, across East and West, countless souls have sought to express the essence of the cherry blossom. An artist such as I could never hope to fully capture its infinite mystery. And so, I shall try again next year — to face the “Ouka 2027.”