Communion with the Wild Gods — Shin’yaba Iwato Kagura
The energy of heaven and earth in the Shin-Yabakei gorge, the kagura dancers, the musicians, and we who watch — all melting into one world.
30 × 30 cm · Not for SaleMandala Oracle Card
Inspiration
KeywordsIntuition, awakening, the soul’s antennae opening
The Story of the Mandala
Drawn in November 2025, from what I felt watching the Iwato Kagura handed down in Shin-Yabakei, Nakatsu, Oita.
I feel that kagura is a place where heaven, people and earth exchange energy. People have revered and feared the great nature that blesses them as “god”. We who live today have forgotten what it is to live with nature; we believe not in gods but in things.
Each of us has intuition to begin with. Today it has simply grown dull.
I think that when we regain the sense that there is something beyond human understanding, and that we live by its grace, we can regain our “inspiration”.
From “Today’s Message”Live with your feet on the ground…
Artist’s Notes
I chose this work for the exhibition because I wanted to convey the spirituality of Japan to visitors from home and abroad.
The Japanese have long revered nature, held awe for what lies beyond human understanding, and lived with an awareness of receiving its blessings. Nature can also take human life… and the Japanese have held a wisdom for living alongside it. I hope to pass that spirit on to as many people as I can.
Threads, May 2025 — on exhibiting at “100 Mandala Artists”