Through climbing Mt. Tateyama, Mt. Tsubame, and Mt. Yumata, the artist observed the "journey of water" as it travels from the mountains to the foothills. Based on this observation, she and the people of Omachi City painted the richness, nature, and ruggedness of the Northern Alps on two sheets of canvas, one 7 meters long and the other 4 meters long.

The materials used for the paintings include clay collected from the area around the stream, soot from braziers found in old houses, and dye from the town's flower, the Japanese iris.

The call of thunderbirds heard at Tateyama, the streaks of mountains illuminated by moonlight seen on Tsubame-dake, the headlights of people walking along the ridge line, the heat of the spring water gushing from Yumata, and people bathing in the wild hot springs. The moment when nature and human activity intersected in the fieldwork of mountain climbing left a lasting impression on me. I attempted to express this scene with the figure of a large spirit and the veins of water gushing from the spirit's head.

At the end of the exhibition, with the cooperation of Arayama Forestry, the works were hung from trees in the mountains, creating a totem of Omachi for a few hours only.

Photo: Tsuyoshi Hongo